The Mind Slayers
by mknote
Summary: Shortly after the defeat of the Healer, AVALANCHE sets out on an epic mission to end the threat of Jenova once and for all. The sixth story in Frank Verderosa's FFVII Internet Series.
1. A Mall to Die For

_Publisher's Disclaimer: Besides this and the note at the end of the last chapter, I, mknote, did not write a single word of this story. It was entirely written by Frank Verderosa. I hope you enjoy The Mind Slayers._

CHAPTER I

A MALL TO DIE FOR

"Mr. Wallace?"

Barret flipped on the intercom.

"Yes?"

"There's a Mr. Van Cleff here to see you. He had the appointment for two thirty."

Barret glanced down at his watch. Two fifteen. He hestitated for a moment, looking blankly at the intercom. He had finished with his previous appointment almost an hour ago, and had gotten most of his paperwork caught up in the last week. There really wasn't any reason to make the man wait, yet he was tempted. Mr. Van Cleff represented the Vanguard Corporation and although Barret was not sure what he wanted, he suspected it was just more buisnessman's bullshit, the kind of thing he least liked to get involved with. But he had determined to rebuild Corel as best he could when he had taken the job as Mayor, and whether he liked it or not, big industry was a large part of that.

"Send him in," he said.

A moment later a man stepped into the office. He looked to be in his late thirties. He wore an immaculate grey suit and was blonde with nary a hair out of place. He wore black shoes recently polished, and carried a black attache case. Nothing Barret hadn't seen before.

"Good afternoon, Mayor Wallace," the man said, coming forward and extending his hand.

Barret stood up and shook hands, then indicated for the man to have a seat. Barret eased himself back down into his own chair.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Van Cleff?"

"Well, first off let me say that the owners of Vanguard Corportion have been looking at what's been happening at Corel for some time now, and I must tell you, they are quite impressed. You've done a fine job here, Mr. Wallace, you've really turned things around for this town."

Barret sighed inwardly. His first suspicion had been correct. This one was just like all the others.

"That's very kind of you," he replied. "But I'm sure you didn't come here just to flatter me."

The man looked at him, and for just a moment the smile that seemed to be permanently drawn on his face faltered, but he recovered quickly.

"I most certainly did not," Van Cleff responded. "As I said, Vanguard is quite impressed with what you've done here, and with the town itself. They think it's an up and coming town, a town that is going to grow very quickly. And Vanguard would like to be part of that."

He paused for a moment, looking at Barret, but Barret just sat there looking at him.

"I'm sure you're aware of the products that Vanguard produces," the man went on. "They are one of the largest makers of electronic parts in the country. What you may not be aware of is that they recently began expanding into real estate. I don't know whether you were aware of it, but they've already bought some prime land in the downtown area of Corel."

He looked at Barret again. Barret had not been aware of this, but again, he said nothing.

The man hesitated a moment. Then he set his briefcase on Barret's desk and opened it up.

"Anyway," he went on. "Vanguard has a proposal that I think you will find very exciting."

Ven Cleff pulled half a dozen papers out of his briefcase and laid them out on the desk in front of Barret. The last paper he pulled out he had to unfold. Barret saw immediately that it was a hand drawn picture of some kind of large building. Across the top was written 'Corel Valley Mall'.

Barret looked at Van Cleff.

"A mall?"

"Yes, a mall," the man replied, the ludicrous smile still painted on his face. "But not just any mall. The biggest mall on the continent. Room for over 400 stores. A food court. A childrens play area. We've already lined up four major department stores to act as anchor stores. This could be a windfall for Corel. Not only would it bring in major business and rake in millions of dollars in taxes, but it'll spur even further growth with satellite business growing up around it. This could be the move that could put Corel on the map. This could take this city into the big time!"

Barret just looked at him skeptically. For some reason he didn't share the man's enthusiasm. He picked up the picture and looked at it carefully. Finally he spoke.

"This is all well and good, but I don't see what it has to do with me, at least, not yet. There are channels to go through with this. You'd have to obtain the permits before I even consider looking at this."

Van Cleff nodded slowly.

"True," he said. "But there is one little glitch that we were hoping you could help us with."

Here it comes, Barret thought.

"And what might that be?"

The man lifted another of the papers and placed it in front of Barret, who could see that it was a map of downtown Corel, showing all the parcels of land.

"Okay, the red outline is the minimum area we will need to build the mall, including all stores and parking lots. The green shaded areas are all the parcels of land that Vanguard has already purchased."

Barret looked over the map, hiding his surprise. He had no idea that Vanguard had purchased so much land in Corel.

"And these red shaded ones?" he asked.

"Those are parcels of land whose owners have refused to sell to Vanguard," Van Cleff replied. "And that is the crux of our problem."

Barret looked up at him.

"You mean your problem," he corrected.

Van Cleff nodded in consession.

Barret continued to look at him.

"So what do you want me to do, pressure these people to sell?"

Van Cleff cupped his chin in his hands and looked down at the map.

"Actually, we were hoping for more active intervention," he said slowly.

Barret was starting to like this less and less.

"What did you have in mind."

"We were hoping you would use your powers of emminent domain," the man responded.

Barret's look turned sharp.

"You want me do condemn their land...and then sell it to you," he stated.

"To Vanguard," Van Cleff replied.

"It's not something that hasn't been done before," the man continued, seeing the skeptical look on Barret's face. "Cities do this all the time. It's quite common."

"Other cities maybe," Barret replied. "I don't think I can help you."

"We've offered these people more than fair market price for their land," Van Cleff said. "I've told you already what a boon for Corel this could be. If you don't do this I'm afraid Vanguard will have to build it's mall in another city."

Barret shrugged.

"We've been getting along fine here without Vanguard, and it's mall. I suspect we will continue to do so. You are perfectly free to offer these people whatever price you wish for their land, but if they refuse, then there's nothing I can do. As long as it's not for a city project, it would be misuse of power for me to condemn their land."

Van Cleff folded his arms across his chest and shook his head slowly.

"Are you seriously telling me that you're going to give up a multimillion dollar project, a project that can add huge revenues into Corel's city budget, just because of a few misguided private citizens? Don't you think the greater good of Corel is more important?"

Barret gave the man such an openly hostile look that Van Cleff involuntarily took a step back.

"The private citizens of Corel are the one's who elected me," Barret said, surprised at how calm his voice sounded. "I don't represent the city, I represent the people, including those 'misguided' ones, as you refer to them. I own it to each and every one of them to do the best I can. I will not trample the rights of a single one of them, not even in the name of the city of Corel. Like I said before, we've been doing fine without you or Vanguard, so I suggest you take your plans and...look elswhere."

Van Cleff stood there for a minute looking at him. He started to open his mouth, but the look Barret was giving him apparently convinced him that further argument would be futile. The man closed his mouth, reached down and gathered his papers together, shoving them quickly into the suitcase. Without another word he turned and walked quickly out of the Mayor's office.

He passed the secretary without a glance. In silence he continued walking swiftly until he was out of the building altogether. Once out on the street he paused and pulled out a cell phone. He dialed, looking around carefully as it rang, but there was no one nearby.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, it's me," he said. "I just talked to the Mayor. You were right, he didn't go for it. I guess we'll just have to go with the alternate plan."

There was a moments pause.

"See to it," the man at the other end of the line said before hanging up.

* * *

"Are you ready?"

Tifa nodded. She went to pick up her bag that held what few possessions she had with her but Cloud stepped forward and lifted it up first, slinging it over his own shoulder.

He looked at her, and for a moment he thought she was going to protest, but then she just smiled and slipped her hand into his. He squeezed her hand, finding pleasure in the simple feel of the soft skin of her fingers against his own.

"Then lets get out of here."

As they stepped toward the door Tifa paused for a moment to take one last look around the hopital room she had spent the better part of the last two weeks in. There was nothing extrodinary about it. It looked like any other hospital room you would find in just about any city on the continent. By tomorrow the room would most likely be occupied by someone else. But she couldn't help feel a certain possessiveness toward it. Now that the bar was gone, it was the only home she knew.

"Forget something?" Cloud said, with just a trace of impatience. He had never been completely comfortable in the hospital. There was just too much going on here that he didn't understand, that he had no control over.

"No," she replied, turning toward him once more. It was just a hospital room, and she was healed, no longer in need of it. She had been chafing to get out of here all week. Now that they had finally released her, there was no point in dragging it out. "Let's go."

They walked out into the hallway, hand in hand. The nurses came over to say goodbye and wish Tifa good luck. She had gotten to know some of them well in the time she had been here.

They took the elevator down to the first floor and walked silently down the hallway to the main lobby. On their way down the hall they ran into Dr. Samuels coming in the other direction. He smiled when he saw Tifa.

"I'll bet you can't wait to get out of here," he said. "So I won't keep you. I just wanted to say good luck. In spite of the little run in with those weird Jenova guys, you were a good patient. Eveyone is glad that you pulled through."

Tifa nodded her head, looking slightly embarrassed. Cloud stepped forward and extended his hand. Dr. Samuels took hold of it.

"Thanks, Doc," Cloud said. "For everything."

"You're welcome. You two just take care of yourselves. I don't want to see either one of you back her again for a long long time, if ever."

"Nothing against you, Doc," Cloud replied. "But I couldn't agree more."

With one more nod to Tifa, the Doctor walked past them down the hall. Cloud took Tifa's hand again and they walked out of the building.

Tifa looked up at the sky as they walked slowly down the street. It was early evening, the last rays of sunlight had just faded away above the hills to the west, leaving the sky a deep purple color. To the east dark billowing clouds filled the heavens. A flash of lightening could be seen occasionally pulsing through them, backlighting the clouds closer to them, though they could hear no sound of thunder. The air was heavy with the threat of rain.

Tifa felt a sudden tension gripping her as she looked ahead and saw that they were nearing the bar, or rather, where the bar had once been. She didn't remember the explosion, of anything after it prior to waking up in the hospital. She had not seen what had happened to it.

Cloud seemed to sense her unease and gripped her hand more tightly. For a moment he was going to suggest they take a different route, but then Tifa took a deep breath and started forward, leading him on. As always, she would meet this head on.

The land had been cleared, she saw as they approached. There was no debris, no charred timbers left. Grass had been sown and was even now starting to turn the brown earth green. A concrete path led from the street to the center of the property, then circled around what looked to be a large stone set in the ground.

"It's a memorial to those who died," Cloud said slowly. "I thought it would be fitting. We can rebuild the bar somewhere else. I didn't think you would mind."

Tifa looked at him quickly.

"Of course not."

They walked along the path until they stood in front of the stone. In the center of it, facing the street was a bronze plaque. On it were set the seven names of those who had been killed in the explosion.

Tifa reached down and touched the plaque, her head bowed.

"Poor Mikko," she said softly.

Cloud put his arm around her. They stood there in silence for a long time, both of them thinking about the young girl who had been their friend as much as an employee. Cloud had seen plenty of death in his lifetime. More than his share, really. But it was not something that ever became easy. It was not something he would ever get used to.

Finally he stirred when he felt the first fat drops of rain begin to spatter about him.

"Let's get going," he said.

Tifa nodded and wiped away her tears. They walked a little further down the street, until they came to Elmyra's old house. She was living in Infalnia now with Aeris, but she still owned her old house here in Kalm, and she had told Cloud that he and Tifa could use it for as long as they needed.

The rain still was only coming down in scattered drops as they entered, but they could hear the first far off rumbling of thunder.

The house was dark. No lights had been left on. Tifa walked over to a window and looked out to the east. A flash of lightening cast a stark white light through the room suddenly, outlining her until it faded a moment later.

Cloud walked over and reached for the light.

"No," Tifa said quickly.

He looked at her. She turned back toward the window.

"I...I want to watch the lightening."

Cloud nodded, then walked over and stopped behind her as she gazed out the window. He stood there, watching her as she was watching the sky outside. When she had been in the hospital he had spent hours just gazing at her, memorizing every detail of her face. And gradually it had come to him that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Why hadn't he ever noticed that before?

He reached out and caressed her long silky hair. She turned toward him and smiled, but then looked back out the window, a pensive look on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She shrugged.

"So much has happened," she began, then hesitated a moment before continuing. "I'm just a little depressed, I guess. Mikko..Mikko's gone. The bar is destroyed. It seems like I have nothing left, again."

He nodded in understanding and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Like at Nibelheim?" he asked.

He pulled her closer and she rested her head against his chest. He could smell the fresh scent of her hair.

"Like in Nibelheim," she repeated softly.

He was silent for a moment, looking down at her. He had never realized how satisfying the simple pleasure of holding her in his arms could be.

"You've still got me," he stated.

She looked up at him, then dropped her gaze once more until it fell on the ring on her finger. She smiled and slipped her arm around his waist. She looked up at him again.

"I know," she said, "I didn't mean to..."

He dismissed it with a shake of his head. He could see the faint glow in her brown eyes in the darkness. Her eyes had been closed, of course, when he had sat by her bedside. That was one thing he had missed, seeing her eyes. Now he was glad for the Mako glow, glad because he could see them even in the darkness. Those eyes so filled with life, and love. He could spend the rest of his days just looking into those eyes, and he would be happy.

Her smile faded.

"Cloud?"

"Uh huh?" he replied, still looking into her eyes. He brought his other arm around her and pulled her closer still.

"Do you think it's finally over this time?"

Cloud did not answer right away. It seemed sometimes that their old enemies had an unlimited capacity to return to haunt them. First Sephiroth, then Hojo, or at least, a computer program spawned by Hojo, and then Jenova had all returned, had all had to be defeated a second time. How many more lives did this evil have? How many more times would they be forced to battle their old enemy before they could finally rest? The fact of the matter was, at this point it wouldn't shock him if Rufus walked through the door and started blasting away with his shotgun.

"I don't know," he replied. "I hope so."

Lightening flashed outside once again. For a moment he saw her features outlined in the light. Those features he had come to know so well. Then they were shrouded in darkness once again.

"It doesn't matter though," he said. "It doesn't matter if it never ends, if we have to fight for the rest of our lives. I know we can't be defeated. I know I'll always be able to go on, as long as I have you."

She hugged him more tightly, the smile returning to her face once again. He could feel the warmth of her body against his, the soft skin of her arms wrapped around him. The scent of her hair was stronger than ever, and he ran his hand through it one more time. And once again he wondered what had possessed him to wait so long.

"Cloud..."

He brought his hand around, under her chin and lifted it up. Then he slowly slipped his hand behind her head again, and brought it forward until their lips met.

They stood there for a long time, unmoving in the dark, neither one of them wishing for the moment to end. But suddenly there was a flash of light and a boom of thunder. Tifa shuddered and Cloud lifted his head as the heavens finally opened up outside, and a torrent of rain came pouring down, spattering loudly against the window and the roof above them. For just a moment they looked around, then their lips met once more and they kissed again. Cloud felt his hands slipping down around Tifa's bare waist, moving gently along her tender skin as passion flared up inside both of them. His hands reached for her shirt and started to lift it.

She brought her hands down, gripping his and stopping him. She looked at him for a moment, embarrassemnt reddening her cheeks, though he could not see it. Then she turned away.

Cloud just stood there for a moment, not understanding and surprised by her actions. Then he put a hand on her shoulder once more.

"What's wrong?"

She did not reply for a moment. He could not see her run her hand lightly down her shirt between her breasts, along the scar Sephiroth had left. The scar that would remind her of her encounter for the rest of her life.

"Tifa?"

"It...it's nothing," she said slowly.

Aeris had been stabbed as well. But she bore no scar. The lifestream had healed her. She was still...perfect.

Cloud put both hands on her shoulders and gently turned her around to face him once more.

"We've hid our feeling long enough," he said. "Don't you think?"

She looked at him for a long time. He had a reassuing smile on his face, and though his eyes held a hint of puzzlement, what she saw mostly was tenderness.

She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, then smiled in return. He was right of course. There was no need to let old fears come between them anymore. After all that had happened, was she _still_ jealous of Aeris?

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's the scar. Sephiroth's scar. It..it's ugly."

He reached out and pulled her to him once more.

"Is that all?" he said. "For a moment there I thought it was something serious. Sepiroth has caused enough trouble. You think I'm going to let this come between us? I don't care about your scars. Hell, I've got dozens of them myself from all the fights I've been in. It's nothing."

She slipped her arms around him again, knowing she was being foolish but still reassured by his words.

"I just want to be perfect for you," she said softly.

He reached down and lifted her chin once more until she was looking up into his eyes.

"I don't want you to be perfect, Tifa. I just want you to be you."

She looked at him for a moment. Never in her life had she felt so comfortable, so happy, so needed.

"I love you."

He kissed her again, and once more their arms wrapped around one another. His hands slowly came up to grip her shirt once more, just as a flash of lightening through the window illuminated them in it's cold light. She reached out, but not to stay his hand this time. Instead her hand went to the window, and she pulled down the shade, shutting out the harsh light and the world outside. A place neither one of them would be thinking about for quite some time.

* * *

"Mom?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I need to talk to you."

Elmyra stopped sorting the laundry and looked at Aeris.

"It's been a long time since you asked me for any advice," she said.

Aeris looked troubled.

"I know, and I'm sorry. It's just that so much has happened..."

Elmyra held up her hand.

"Don't appologize," she said. "You were never one to ask much advice anyway, even when you were little. You always marched to your own tune dear, and only seemed to heed voices that I could not hear. But you're a grown woman now. Able to make up your own mind and draw your own conclusions. I can't say I don't miss the little girl I used to know, but I suppose that's the lament of all parents. To tell you the truth, I'm quite proud of you, and what you have become."

She motioned for Aeris to follow her into the other room. She sat down and Aeris eased herself down beside her. Elmyra looked at her questioningly.

"Now what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Aeris hesitated, seemingly not quite sure how to begin. Finally she looked straight at Elmyra.

"How did you meet your husband?" she asked.

Elmyra raised an eyebrow, obviously not expecting that question. She hesitated a moment, and the hint of a smile appeared on her lips as she remembered her late husband.

"I used to work at an Inn. The Tip Toe Inn, it was called. Yes, I know that sounds silly, but that was the name of it. It was in sector 4 in Midgar. Oh, it was so long ago."

"Sylvester was hired as the handyman about a year after I started working there. I used to have to call him whenever we had a problem and then go over it with him when he arrived. Eventually we started seeing each other. A year after that we were married."

Aeris nodded slowly.

"But how did you know? How did you know he was the one?"

Elmyra looked at Aeris with a sudden knowing expression.

"Is this about those two men of yours?" she quieried.

Aeris hesitated a moment before nodding.

Elmyra looked at her thoughtfully.

"I don't really know what it was," she replied. "I don't think anyone does, really. He was always in such good spirits, his personality seemed to match mine like a pair of gloves. But it didn't happen immediately. We were both kind of shy, and it took us a while to get to know one another. But the more we learned about each other the more we liked."

Aeris looked down at the ground.

"But that's just it. I know both of them and I like them both. Zack is so strong. He makes me feel safe everytime I'm near him. He has an air of leadership about him. He seems to demand respect, and yet he can be arrogent at times. Reeve is almost the complete opposite. He's almost painfully shy, never seeming to want to step on anyone's toes. And yet he can be couragous as well. I'll never forget, nor be able to repay, what he did for me in Mysteele."

Elmyra put her arm around her daughter's shoulder.

"Nobody ever said life would be easy."

Aeris nodded.

"I know, but I want to ask you, what do you think of them?"

Again Elmyra was surprised. She had never thought that Aeris would come to her for advice about this sort of thing.

"I don't know," she said hesitatntly. "To tell you the truth, at first I was partial to Zack, mainly, I think, because he is closer to your age. But Reeve is not that much older, and the more I learn about him the more I like him. I think either one of them would be a fine choice."

Aeris looked at her for a moment.

"You're not making this any easier," she said with a rueful smile.

"I know," Elmyra said with a laugh. "But I'm afraid the choice is not up to me. You've got to make up your own mind Aeris."

She gave Aeris a squeeze and looked at her reassuringly.

Aeris nodded slowly and smiled again.

"The one time I come to you for advice, and you say 'It's up to you'"

Elmyra laughed again.

"Sorry. I really do wish I could help you with this. But this matter must be settled by your own heart, and only you know what's locked inside it. You've got to look inside and decide for yourself."

"But I have looked," Aeris replied rather plaintatively. "And I still can't decide. I love them both very dearly."

Elmyra looked at Aeris thoughtfully for a few moments.

"I can't tell you who to pick, but one thing I can say. Do not decide because one was your first love, or because one was willing to give his life for you. It doesn't matter how you felt for someone in the past, it doesn't matter what anyone has done or not done for you. Harsh as that may sound. I know you Aeris. I know you would never want to hurt anyone. But don't get involved with someone because of sympathy, because you don't want to hurt them. What matters is what you feel in your heart. If the magic isn't there now, no matter how you felt about them once, or what they've done for you, then you should wait."

Aeris sat there pondering what Elmyra said. Finally she asked; "But how long must I wait?"

"For as long as it takes," Elmyra replied. "You're still so young! Some people wait almost their whole lives for the right person to come along. Some people never find him. But it's better to wait, and maybe never find him, then settle for someone else and then run into him later on. Whatever you do, don't do anything until you are sure."

Aeris sat there in silence for a long time. Finally she looked at Elmyra once more.

"Thank you."

Elmyra smiled.

"No, thank you," she said. "For making an old woman feel like she still can be useful in this world."

Aeris looked at Elmyra for a moment, then reached out and hugged her.

"You'll always be important to me," she said softly. "After my own mom died, I didn't know what I would do. But you unselfishly took me in, and if I would have been able to choose from anyone in the world, I don't think I would have been able to pick anyone better. I love you."

"And I you," Elmyra replied, looking down at Aeris with moist eyes.

They sat there for a moment in silence. Them Elmyra stood up, wiping away her tears.

"Well, I really should be getting back to my laundry," she said, composing herself. "Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

"Ellengio is leaving tomorrow for the southern islands. He says the Cetra preseved the cave where the crystal materia was found, and he wants to go take a look at it. He asked me to go along, and I think I'm going to accept."

"Will it be dangerous?" Elmyra asked.

"I don't think so," Aeris replied. "We should only be gone a couple of days."

Elmyra nodded.

"Just be careful," she said.

"I will," Aeris replied. She continued to look at Elmyra as if she had more to say. Elmyra gave her a questioning look.

"I'm not going to tell Zack or Reeve that I'm going," Aeris stated. "And I'd rather they didn't find out. They'll just want to come along, and frankly right now I'd rather not have to deal with it. I don't want to be mean but..."

"I understand perfectly," Elmyra replied. "Take all the time you need. They won't get any information out of me."

Aeris smiled again.

"Thanks," she said and disappeared out the door. Elmyra stood there looking at the spot Aeris had vacated, thinking about all that had happened to her daughter, and what might lay ahead for her. Whatever else would happen, she had a feeling it would not be dull.

* * *

Reno sat with his feet propped up on the desk in front of him, leaning back in his chair and staring out the window at the streets of Junon when the door to his office suddenly opened. He sat up in his chair, startled by the sudden intrusion, and started to life his feet off the desk, but then eased them back down agian when he saw who it was.

"Yuffie, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I was in town, I figured I'd stop by to annoy you," she replied, looking around idely as she strolled into the room.

Reno leaned back in his chair once more, hands behind his head.

"Just can't keep yourself away from me, can you?" he said with a droll grin.

"Yeah, that's got to be it," Yuffie replied casually as she sat herself down on the corner of the desk.

She looked around.

"So this is your big shot Turk office, huh? Not too shabby actually, Hard to believe. Could it be that you actually do have some taste?"

She picked up a small crystal chocobo figurine that was on the desk nearby.

Reno reached over and snatched it out of her hand, then very deliberately put it down at the other end of the desk.

"Hey, relax," she said. "I'm not going to break it."

"I'm not worried about you breaking it," he replied. "I'm worried about it mysteriously disappearing."

Yuffie smiled innocently.

"C'mon," she responded. "I'm not that much of a kleptomanic, am I?"

He didn't respond, but the look on his face spoke volumes.

"Yuffie, what do you want?"

She looked out the window for a moment, then turned back toward him and half shrugged.

"I just...", she turned away again. "Kind of had a thought."

"That's a first."

She ingored the barb, looking at the far wall, as if carefully studying the wallpaper.

"I just thought..."

He waited patiently.

"...that maybe..."

Her gaze wandered to the ceiling.

"...it might be fun if..."

"For crissake, Yuffie, just spit it out!"

She turned and faced him.

"...I became a Turk."

"What?"

Again he sat up in his chair, and this time his feet came off the desk to land solidly on the floor.

"I'd like to join the Turks," she repeated.

"You can't be serious."

"Of course I am," she replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Reno sat there staring at her. This was so out of the blue that he didn't know what to say. He had never thought she even entertained the idea of becoming a Turk, had never thought she was in the least bit interested. He had never considered that she would ever ask, or what he would say to her, or how he even thought about it. But now that he was thinking about it, the thought that was uppermost in his mind was that it would be a very bad idea.

"Yuffie, I think that's a very bad idea," he said.

"Why?" she questioned immediately, as if that response was exactly what she had expected.

Why? Good question. He wasn't sure exactly. Think fast Reno, think fast.

"Because you're immature, undisciplined and you would probably get us all killed if you didn't drive us crazy first," he replied.

Yuffie gave him a sour look.

"Immature? Look who's talking. You're not exactly Mr. Maturity yourself. Half the time you're drunk off your ass and the other half you're running around chasing every skirt in sight."

"Hey, say what you will about me, but when it comes time to do the job, I'm ready."

"And I would be too," Yuffie replied, looking at him earnestly. "Look, I know you've always just thought of me as an annoying pest, and in the begining I admit the description was accurate. But I've grown up a lot lately. I've thought about this for a long time and I really think it's something I want to do."

Reno did not reply, just sat there looking at her. That at least was true, she had matured in the time he had known her. The question was, how much?

"C'mon," she said, leaning forward. "I know I'd make a good Turk. And whether you want to admit it or not, you and I are a lot alike. You're greedy, I'm greedy, and we both can be major pain in the asses."

Reno said nothing. Him and Yuffie alike, now that was a scary thought.

"You know I'm a good fighter," she continued, leaning forward even more until her elbows rested on the desk, her head propped on her arms and right in front of him now. "And you're well aware of my other talents, seeing as how I cleaned you out the other day."

"Hey, that wasn't fair, I was drunk," he replied defensively.

"Well, it's so rare that you're not..." she replied with a smile.

He stood up and stepped away from her, uncomfortable with their proximty. He had the distinct feeling he was being bamboozled into doing something he definitely did not want to do.

"I don't think so Yuffie," he said. "I really don't think you're Turk material. Besides, I've already got one dizzy female to deal with. I don't need two."

Yuffie just gave him a skeptical look. She slipped off the desk lightly onto her feet again.

"That's a pretty pitiful argument, even from you."

Just then they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Reno walked forward, grabbed hold of her, and immediately led her toward the door.

"That must be a real customer," he said, taking full advantage of the intteruption. "Why don't you just run along now. And please put this Turk idea out of your head."

"I'll go for now," she replied. "But I'll be back. This isn't over yet."

"Whatever you say," he replied. He opened the door. Yuffie saw an older blonde man in a grey suit standing in front of her. Then Reno had ushered her out and the man in. He closed the door with a silent sigh of relief.

"You're Reno?" the man said, looking at him as if he wasn't much impressed.

"The one and only," Reno replied. He walked back over to his desk and sat down again, motioning for the man to take a seat as well. Instead the man walked up and stood in front of the desk.

"I don't have much time," the man said. "I just flew in from Corel and I have to get back there as soon as possible. I've heard a lot about your organization and I was wondering if you could do a little job for me."

"The Turks are always willing to help out," Reno replied. "For the right price, of course."

"Of course," the man replied with a small nod.

"So what did you have in mind?" Reno asked.

"There is a certain gentleman who has been causing problems for me. I need to have him removed from the equation."

Reno looked at the man carefully, a thin smile forming on his lips.

"I see," he said thoughtfully. "Permanently?"

"That would be preferable."

"Uh huh," Reno nodded. "You realize of course that that kind of service does not come cheap."

"Indeed," the man replied. "How does one million gil strike you?"

Reno forced himself to remain expressionless with a great deal of difficulty.

"One million gil, that's quite a generous offer. Who exactly is this gentleman?"

The man hesitated for a moment.

"I really would rather not discuss that until we are certain we have a deal," he said.

Reno leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk in front of him.

"Well, I'm afraid I'm going to need to know that. The price we charge is dependent upon the target."

"I would think that one million gil would be enough for just about anyone," the man stated rather dryly.

"Maybe," Reno replied. "Maybe not. I'm afraid I'll have to be the judge of that. I assure you, the name will be kept in the strictest confidence."

He man hesitated, looking at Reno carefully. Finally he nodded.

"I don't doubt you. The Turks confidentiality is legendary. I would not have come to you if I thought otherwise."

He looked around for a moment, and fell silent, as if listening for the sound of anyone in the hall, but he detected nothing, then he leaned forward and said in a calm voice.

"The man I want eliminated is Barret Wallace, the Mayor of Corel."


	2. Rumble in the Jungle

CHAPTER II

RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE

Reno's visitor turned suddenly at the sound of a noise outside the door, his hand reaching into his suit jacket. Reno stood up and motioned for the man to remain where he was, then walked over to the door, opened it and stepped out into the hall.

Yuffie stood just beside the door outside, hidden from view to the man in Reno's office. She looked at Reno with her mouth open.

Reno glared at her. He put his finger to his lips, then pointed for her to go.

She shook her head.

He stepped up right beside her and leaned forward until their faces were inched apart.

"Get the hell out of here," he whispered. "If he finds out you're out here he'll probably kill both of us!"

Yuffied folded her arms across her chest. She looked at him and shook her head stubbornly.

His glare intesified.

"Is everything alright out there?" he heard from in the office.

"Yeah, fine," Reno retorted quickly. He looked at Yuffie again, but she didn't look like she was going to budge. He couldn't make a scene and she knew it.

Reno leaned forward again.

"If he finds you out here I'll kill you myself!" he hissed, then walked back into the office.

He closed the door and quickly walked over to his desk. The man was looking at him sharply.

"It was nothing," Reno said, reseating himself.

Reno's visitor gave him a piercing look. It seemed obvious that he thought something had occured. But Reno just stared at him impassively, and finally the man shrugged, apparently determining that whatever it was, it must have been unimportant.

"So, are you agreeable to my proposal?" he asked, getting back to the subject at hand.

Reno drummed his fingers on the desk for a moment.

"Ordinarily I would consider your offer more than suficent compensation. But unfortunately in this case, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline."

A slight raising of one eyebrow was the only indication of the man's surprise.

"May I inquire why?" he said.

"It's very simple, really," Reno replied. "Even a million gil isn't going to do me much good if I'm dead. Barret Wallace is a member of Avalanche. If I took him out the rest of Avalanche wouldn't rest until they got revenge. Even the Turks don't want that kind of heat. I'm afraid some people are just untouchable. It's too risky."

The man slowly leaned forward and placed his elbows on Reno's desk, his fingers tapping his chin. He didn't speak for a long time.

"I must say I'm surprised," he finally stated. "I didn't think the Turks would beg off from anything given the right price. I guess the rumors I've been hearing may be true after all."

Reno looked at the man casually, as if not really interested.

"And what rumor might that be?" he asked.

The man fixed his eyes on Reno.

"That the Turks are getting soft," he stated. "That they don't want to take rishs anymore. That they've lost their edge."

Reno seemed unfazed by the man's accusations.

"Don't bet on it," he replied.

For a moment they sat there in silence. Then the man shrugged and stood up.

"Well, if that's your final word then I guess we have nothing more to discuss. I'm afraid my employer will be very disappointed. He wanted the best, but it appears the Turks reputation is not all it's crecked up to be. I don't suppose I need to remind you that you are not the only game in town. There are some out there who would jump at the chance for a million gil, no matter what the risks. They would consider it..."

The man's gaze fixed on Reno once more

"...a challenge."

Reno stood up slowly. Though he knew the man was just trying to goad him he still felt the sting of his words. Still, he wasn't about to let the man know that.

"If we have nothing more to discuss, then why are you still talking to me?" he questioned, his voice smooth, betraying no hint of his true feelings.

Reno got up and walked over to the door. He opened it up, then swung around to face the man again.

"I think it's time for you to leave," he said loudly.

The man looked at him for a moment more, and Reno was satisfied to see just a hint of anger in the man's eyes. Then he walked past Reno and out into the hall. He turned and glared at Reno one last time, then walked away.

Reno stepped out into the hall and looked around. He could see the man walking over to the elevators at the end of the hall, but he saw no sign of Yuffie.

Breathing a sigh of relief he closed the door, then walked back to his desk and sat down heavily. He leaned back in his chair and turned to stare out the window, lost in thought.

He didn't have much time to ponder, however, for a few minutes later the door opened and Yuffie walked back in, quickly coming over to plop herself down on his desk once more, a look of surprise still on her face.

"I heard the whole thing," she began.

"Lucky for me," Reno replied ruefully.

"I knew you wouldn't do it," she stated. "Do you know who he meant when he said you weren't the only game in town?"

Reno gave her a sour look. He wasn't anxious to discuss this with her. Why the hell did he have to walk in when she was here? But he didn't think he had much choice at this point, if he didn't tell here she'd just bug the crap out of him, or even worse, go blab to some of the others.

"I've got a pretty good idea," he replied. "There's always new individuals and organizations cropping up to try to cut in on some of the Turks action. Most of them are just a bunch of incompetents and don't last long. But there's one group I've been hearing a lot about lately. I don't know much about them. All I know is they're called the Fog and they're ruthless. Last month an entire family of seven was massacered in lower Junon because they were after one of the family members. I've heard the Fog was responsible. Pretty unproffesional if you ask me. Not at all the way the Turks would have handled it, but it got the job done. They don't compare with the Turks, of course, but they're the most prominent group around after us, so my guess would be this guy will go to them next."

"The Fog?" she questioned. "What kind of stupid name is that?"

"I don't know," Reno replied. "What kind of name is the Turks?"

"And you think they'll do it?" she asked.

"For a million gil?" Reno replied. "Of course they will. I was sorely tempted myself. But I could hardly accept the job when a member of Avalanche was standing right outside my door, now could I?"

"Are you telling me you would have accepted the job if I handn't been standing out there?" Yuffie said incredulously.

Reno shrugged.

"A milliion gil can be a very strong incentive," he replied with a smile.

Yuffie stared at him for a moment.

"You're full of shit," she said, finally deciding he was kidding with her. At least she was pretty sure he was kidding.

Reno did not reply.

"Well, if he's going to get these Fog people after Barret then we better warn him," she continued, pulling out her PHS.

Reno reached over and grabbed hold of her hand.

"You will do no such thing!" he said sharply.

Yuffie looked at him in surprise.

"What? Why not?"

"The man was a client," Reno replied. "What he told me was in the strictest confidence. The Turks have a reputation to uphold, a reputation that we live by. If word got out that we couldn't be trusted to keep our mouths shut, it would ruin us."

Yuffie just stared at him with her mouth open.

"So you're not going to do anything?" she asked finally. "You're not going to tell him? You're just going to let them kill your friend?"

Reno looked at her darkly.

"For one thing, Barret Wallace is _not_ my friend," Reno replied caustically. "Number two, this has nothing to do with friendship. This is buisness, and I'm not about to jepordize the Turks reputation for anyone. I want you to promise me you will not tell Barret about this."

Yuffie just continued to look at him, her head slowly shaking.

"I can't believe it," she muttered. Then her eyes darkened. "I most certainly will not!" she said defiantly.

Reno stared at her, and suddenly his face lost all expression. Slowly he stood up.

"Yuffie," he said slowly. "I want you to promise me you will not tell Barret."

Yuffie stood up as well. She had never seen quite that expression on Reno's face before. There was no hint of his usual smirk, no gleam of mirth in his eye, yet he did not look angry either. She couldn't see any emotion at all. It was almost as if he wasn't really even there, and suddenly, much to her surprise, she realized she was afraid.

"Reno, you can't be serious," she said slowly.

"I am very serious," he replied. His hand slipped beneath his jacket.

"Reno..." she began, but the words died in her throat. There was just something in the way he was looking at her. She felt her own hand moving toward her sherukin, but she did not take hold of it. She didn't want to fight. Reno had never looked more serious. She had a feeling if she grabbed her sherukin now, there would be no turning back. If they fought this time, it would be to the death.

"All right," she heard herself saying. "I promise."

Reno stared at her for a moment more, then his body seemed to relax. He sat back down in his chair, suddenly looking like his old self.

"If you break that promise, I'll kill you," he stated.

She didnt' reply, just stood there. She couldn't believe he would do this, but perhaps that had been naive of her. She had known all along what Reno was like. She knew what he had done when he was with Shinra. She knew how ruthless he could be, but she had to admit she had turned a blind eye to it. Mainly, she supposed, because it had never happened in front of her. She hadn't been there when he had pushed the button that had destroyed the pillar above sector seven in Midgar. She had an image of him as a flamboyant scoundrel. A man who was always angling for an advantage, but was not really evil. Kind of the way she thought of herself. But what she saw now disgusted her.

Without another word she turned and walked away.

"Yuffie," Reno said as she opened the door. She turned back to look at him. The roguish gleam was back in his eye.

"Still want to be a Turk?" he asked.

She stepped through the entrance and slammed the door behind her.

* * *

Tifa ducked quickly and the sword whistled over her head. She kicked out as she dodged backwards, but Cloud avoided it easily. He moved in again, the wooden practice sword slashing back and forth in front of him. Tifa slowly retreated. Then she suddenly lunged forward just as the sword passed her and struck Cloud in the chest. He took a step back then came at her again.

"Is that the best you can do?" he taunted.

She spun around to avoid another swing of his sword, then dropped down and tried to sweep his feet out from under him, but he jumped up, then struck downward. The sword slashed across Tifa's leg.

"I got you again," he said. "C'mon Tifa, I know you're holding back."

"I don't want to hurt you," she replied.

She feinted toward his head then lept to the side and kicked at his leg. He dodged out of the way, nearly falling over in the process, but quickly regained his balance.

"Hurt me?" he said doubtfully. "The punches you've thrown so far wouldn't even hurt Marlene. Now c'mon, gimmie your best shot. I can take it."

He thrust at her suddenly. She spun out of the way, then brought her arm around and batted the sword away with her elbow. Stepping into the opening she hit him three times on the chest then lept back before he could recover.

"You're still as quick as ever, I'll give you that," he admitted grudgingly. "But what were those, love taps you were giving me? I said to give it your best shot."

He drove at her again, the sword whirling like lightning in front of him. Tifa retreated yet again, then lunged forward when she saw an opening. But this time Cloud twisted out of the way, and she passed right by him. Spinning around, he quickly hit her with a sharp blow to the posterior.

Tifa stilfed a yelp of pain and turned to glare at him. He just returned the look with a devilish grin on his face.

"You keep using the same moves and even a dullard like me will learn how to counter," he said magnanimously.

Tifa resisted the urge to growl at him.

He slashed at her again. She dodged to the side, stepped in, then lunged back as his sword came around again. She leaped up and kicked him in the side, knocking him off balance again. Even off balance the sword came around, hitting her in the side as well. They both stumbled back and regained their balance.

"I got you first on that one," Tifa exclaimed.

"Yeah, but the difference is your blow wouldn't have even slowed me down, but if this was a real sword you'd be dead now."

Tifa made a face as he lunged at her again. For a moment she stood her ground, then at the last second she dodged to the right. His sword seemed commited to slashing the spot she had just vacated, yet somehow Cloud turned it in mid swing. It whistled through the air and hit her smack on the rear end once again.

"Owww!" This time she could not prevent herself from crying out. She staggered away and then turned to look at him again.

"You're pissing me off!" she exclaimed.

"Good," he replied, stepping toward her again. "Maybe now you'll start treating this like a real fight."

He thrust forward once more. She turned to the side, the blade barely missing her. She pivoted and her fist shot out, striking the flat of the blade. There was a loud crack and the wooden sword shattered. Without hesitating she stepped foward, grabbed hold of his collar and pulled back. She fell to the ground, lifting him and flinging him over her. He flew through the air and landed flat on his back nearly ten feet away.

She rolled over and jumped to her feet. She looked at Cloud, but he was just laying on the grass, unmoving.

"Are you all right?" she said, concern in her voice.

She hurried over and knelt down beside him. He was laying spread eagle on the ground, his eyes closed.

"Cloud?" she questioned, leaning closer to him. "Are you all right? I'm sorry..."

His eyes opened and he grabbed hold of her, pulling her down and quickly rolling over until he was on top.

"Now that's more like it!" he said, obviously no worse for the wear. "See, I knew you had it in you."

She looked at him and smiled, but it quickly faded.

"It's this Mako thing," she said slowly. "I know I'm stronger now. I can feel it, but I don't know how to control it. I literally don't know my own strength."

Cloud nodded in agreement.

"It does take some getting used to," he replied. "But you'll adjust. It'll just take some time."

Tifa looked thoughtful but did not reply.

"That last move wasn't bad," Cloud commented. "A couple more sessions and you actually may be able to hang with me."

Tifa gave him a skeptical look, then suddenly grabbed hold of him and twisted round until she was on top.

"I can kick your ass and you know it," she claimed.

He wrapped his arms around her but did not struggle.

"Well, if I remember correctly, I snagged your ass a few times just now," he replied.

"Yeah," she said. "And did you have to hit me so hard?"

"Awww, did I hurt you?" he said with a pouty face. "Here, let me rub it."

His hand slid down over her skirt. She immediately slapped it aside.

"People can see," she admonished, looking around. They were lying on the lawn in back of Elmyra's house. There was no fence, and Tifa could see a neighbor not to far away working in his garden, though he did not seem to be paying attention to them.

Cloud nodded toward the house, a sly smile on his face.

"So let's go inside then," he suggested.

"Pervert," she accused.

He grabbed hold of her again and pulled her closer.

"If I am, it's because you make me one."

He pulled her to him and kissed her. Her hands came up and circled around his neck.

Suddenly she lifted her head, looking up into the sky.

"What?" Cloud said.

"Listen," she replied. She sat up, sliding off him and getting to her knees. Cloud sat up. He could hear it too and looked up as well.

"There!" he said, pointing over her shoulder.

She turned and saw the black jet slowly dropping down out of the sky just above the trees to the west.

"It's the Slipstream," she said, quickly getting to her feet and trotting off. "C'mon, let's go see what's going on!"

* * *

The hatch slid open and Aeris stepped out of the Slipstream. They had landed in an open field not far behind Elmyra's house. Even now she could see Cloud and Tifa trotting over. She waved to them then turned as Ellengio and Cid walked out of the airplane beside her.

"Hi," Cloud said as he came up, Tifa right beside him. Aeris looked them over. They were both disheveled and sweaty from their workout.

"Looks like you two have been busy," she commented.

"We were practicing," Tifa explained.

"For what?" Cid muttered, giving Cloud a look neither of the girls noticed.

"So what's up?" Tifa asked. "This just a social visit?"

"Not exactly," Aeris replied. "Ellengio wants to take a look at the site where the crystal materia was found."

Cloud looked puzzled.

"You mean in Midgar?" he questioned.

"No, not where you found it," Aeris replied. "Where it was originally found."

"You mean two thousand years ago?" Cloud said in surprise.

"Yes," Ellengio replied. "The place is well know to the Cetra. It is on one of the southern islands, not too far from Mideel."

"Is there going to be anything left there after all this time?" Cloud questioned dubiously.

"The site was preseved by the Cetra," Ellengio replied. "Unless it was disturbed, everything should be as it was."

"We thought you might want to join us, that is, if you feel up to it," Aeris said, looking at Tifa.

"I'm fine," Tifa readily agreed. "Just let us clean ourselves up and we can be on our way."

A half hour later the Slipstream rose up into the air and streaked off to the south. Cloud expressed an interest in learning how to fly the black jet, so he was sitting up front beside Cid in the copilot's seat. Tifa sat down in the back beside Aeris.

"I hope Cid waits til they're alone before he let's Cloud fly this thing," she commented.

"You don't have much faith in his flying ability?" Aeris questioned.

Tifa looked at her.

"Do you?"

Both of them laughed.

"Well, he can't put it through any worse manuevers than Cid has," Aeris commented.

"Yeah, but Cid does it on purpose," Tifa replied.

Cloud glanced back at them.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing," Tifa replied quickly. "Just girl talk."

Seemingly appeased, Cloud turned away and asked Cid something.

"So why does Ellengio want to go back to the site where the crystal materia was found?" Tifa asked, apparently through making fun of Cloud.

"He told me he really didn't want to say just yet," Aeris replied. "But he seems to think it's very important. I'm sure it's related to Jenova. I don't think he believes the threat is over."

Tifa looked at her in surprise.

"But we killed Jenova, again. I thought as long as we didn't use the crystal materia anymore, we would be safe."

"So did I," Aeris agreed. "But I can tell he's concerned about something. For all that we've talked about he's very close mouthed about some things. It's almost like he's afraid to tell me."

Tifa didn't like the sound of that. She had thought that things were going to calm down, that they were finally going to get some peace. After all that had happened, was there still more to do? What could be so bad that Ellengio wouldn't even tell Aeris about it.

"Did you ask him straight out?" Tifa questioned.

"Yes I did," Aeris replied. "Last night before we left. But he was evasive. He never actually answered me."

She glanced up at Ellengio who was sitting right behind Cid. He was looking out the window, not appearing to pay any attention to them.

"It's so strange," Aeris continued. "He's so different from what I expected. He acts just like any of us."

Tifa glanced at Ellengio as well.

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know," Aeris replied thoughtfully. "Something different. He seems so...human."

Tifa glanced at her with a puzzled expression.

"Human? What made you think he wouldn't be."

"Well, he is a Cetra," Aeris stated.

"So are you," Tifa reminded her. "And you act just like the rest of us. Most times, anyway."

"What do you mean by that?" Aeris questioned in mock anger.

"You know," Tifa replied. "All that weird talking to the planet stuff. That's not exactly normal behavoir for a human. But other than that, you seem just like the rest of us."

"Yes, but I'm half human," Aeris pointed out. "And I was brought up by humans as well. Ellengio wasn't. For some reason I expected him to act differently. I guess our races are more alike than I thought."

Tifa looked at her thoughtfully.

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"

Aeris nodded slowly.

"I suppose," she replied.

Tifa looked out the window. She could see Fort Condor on the plain below them. She looked back at Aeris.

"So where are Zack and Reeve?" she questioned. "I was surprised when I saw they weren't with you."

Aeris paused for a moment before answering.

"They're back in Infalnia," she replied. "I'm sure they would have come along, if I had told them I was going."

Tifa looked at her in surprise.

"Have they been bothering you that much?"

Aeris loooked at her unhappily.

"It's not that," she said quickly. "They haven't bothered me. Actually they've both been very nice. They haven't said or done anything, but they don't have to. Whenever they're with me I can feel it. I can tell what they're thinking just by the way they look at me."

Tifa thought about that for a minute.

"Is that so bad?" she asked with a smile.

The lack of a return smile told Tifa that her attempt to lighten the mood had failed.

"I guess I should be flattered," Aeris said seriously. "But I can't help but feel torn. I love them both very much. I wouldn't want to see either of them hurt."

Tifa looked at her sympathetically.

"It's probably not my place to give you any advice," she said slowly, "Seeing as how I've had only one man on my mind for as long as I can remember. But I'm going to say this anyway."

She paused for a minute, looking at Aeris carefully.

"For once in your life, be a little bit selfish. Don't think about how anyone else feels. This is too important a decision for you to do that. Just this one time, forget about everyone else. Look into to your own heart and pick who _you_ want."

Aeris sat there for a moment in silence. She glanced up at the men but they were engrossed in their own conversation.

"I have looked," she said slowly. "And I just don't know."

Tifa sat there looking at her for a long time.

"I think you do know," she said finally. "But you just won't admit it to yourself. I think you're still afraid to hurt someone."

Aeris started to speak again, but they suddenly felt the airplane begin to dip down. They both looked toward the front.

"The island's right below us," Cid stated. "I'm bringing her down."

Cid landed the Slipstream on a weed covered plain just off the beach of the small island. They swiftly climbed out and Ellengio looked around.

"That way," he announced, pointing to the jungle to the north.

They followed him as he plunged unhesitently into the underbrush. There was no trail, but Ellengio seemed to know exactly where he was going. They walked for quite a while through the forest. The air was still under the trees, and Cloud soon found it uncomfortably warm. The air was alive with the buzz of insects, and he had to constantly swat them aside, adding to his discomfort. But then he heard the sound of rushing water ahead, and a few moments later they came out of the trees beside a fast running stream. A gentle breeze blew by here, cooled by the water, making them all much more comfortable.

They followed the stream for a while, then suddenly Ellengio turned off and plunged into the jungle again. They did not go far this time, however, before they saw huge granite cliffs looming above the trees ahead of them, shooting almost vertically up into the air, long vines trailing down them. Ellengio looked around for a moment, for the first time seeming unsure of the way. Then he led then to the left along the cliff face. The sound of the river had faded away, although it had never really disappeared completely, but now Cloud could hear it again, louder than ever. They came out into a small clearing and stood looking up at a cascade of water splashing down the granite rocks to fall into a deep pond that spilled over to form the river they had been following.

Aeris stood looking up at the waterfall.

"How pretty," she commented.

None of the others spoke. Ellengio led them straight for the waterfall. When they reached the base of the cliff the water was falling down almost on top of their heads.

"This way," Ellengio said.

They climbed up a steep outcropping of rock, then Cloud saw that there was a narrow path running behind the waterfall. They followed Ellengio along it until they all stood directly behind the water, it forming a window of water on their left side as they walked, and shooting up a cooling spray all around them. Aeris stuck her hand into the waterfall and watched the water part around it. She looked at Ellengio and said something, but her voice was obscured by the roar of the falls.

They came out the other side a few moments later, back into the bright sunlight. Ellengio looked up at the granite cliff face above them and shaded his eyes.

"Now we climb," he announced.

They all looked up dubiously at the rough rock face above them. The granite cliffs seemed less sheer on this side of the waterfall, but even so it did not look like an easy climb. Nevertheless, before anyone could say anything Ellengio started up, scrambling up through the rocks with the occasional help of some of the vines that hung down from above. The others reluctantly followed.

"Couldn't we have parked a little closer?" Cloud muttered.

"Your plane cannot land in the jungle," Ellengio replied. Cloud hadn't realized he'd said it loud enough to be overheard. "This is the only way."

They slowly made there way up the steep slope. It wasn't too difficult a climb, but the cliff face was exposed, and the early afternoon sun beat down on them. Cloud had thought it hot down in the jungle, but paritally due to the added exertion of the climb, this was even worse. Soon they were all huffing and puffing and covered with sweat. The sound of the waterfall nearby only made it worse, for they were not close enough to it to be caught in the cooling spray any longer, yet it being in plain sight made it that much more apparent just what they were missing.

They stopped to rest for a moment, pausing on a large outcropping of rock almost two thirds of the way to the top. Cloud looked down and was surprised to see how high up they were. The pool at the bottom of the waterfall could barely be made out in the jungle below. He lifted his eyes and looked out over the forest. From this height he could see all the way to the beach, and the southern ocean beyond. He strained his eyes, but he could see no sign of the Slipstream.

"Let's get going," Ellengio remarked. "Not much further."

They started up the cliff face once more. Ellengio led them up, climbing easily. Cloud was surprised at how nimble he was, considering his age. Aeris followed him, moving quickly but cautiously. Cid was behind her, by far the slowest. Cloud considered commenting on how he'd probably be in better shape if he cut down on his smoking, but thought better of it. He didn't want the pilot to waste his breath cursing him out.

Tifa followed Cid, with Cloud bringing up the rear. As Tifa climbed up after Cid her hand slipped off the smooth granite and she stumbled and slid back down a few feet. Cloud quickly grabbed hold of her to steady her.

"You okay?" he asked sharply.

She turned and gave him a reassuring nod, then started up the slope again. He followed, keeping a cautious eye on her. This was only her second day out of the hospital, and though she had been given a clean bill of heath she still wouldn't be a hundred percent for a while yet. But even if she was finding the going difficult, he knew she wouldn't complain. They hadn't known what they were getting into when they had ageed to come along, but thinking back on it now he should have know better. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have come in the first place.

Still, there wasn't much he could do about it now except keep an eye on her and make sure they rested if she looked like she was getting tired. He knew it would be pointless to suggest to her that they turn back.

He looked up again and saw that the top of the cliff was not far above them now. He could see the overhanging vegetation that marked the jungle at the top. He looked over toward the waterfall and was surprised to see that it did not flow over the top of the cliff, but instead poured out of a large opening in the cliff face about twenty meters below the top.

"We're almost at the top," Ellengio said encouragingly.

A short time later, and with a collective sigh of relief, they hauled themselves over the top. They stopped for a minute to look around. They could see the whole southern end of the island mapped out below them.

"That was fun," Cid commented, panting heavily. "I can't wait to climb back down."

"Well, we can rest for a while before we do that," Ellengio replied. "C'mon, we're almost to the cave. It's much cooler inside it. We can rest there."

With some grumbling the other followed as he led them once more into the jungle. The vegetation was thicker than ever here, and they had a hard time pushing their way through it. The trees closed in around them once more, their thick leaves and hanging vines making it impossible to see more than a few yards ahead into the jungle. Occasionally they came across rocky outcroppings of granite, some of them shooting up thirty or fourty meters overhead.

"I thought he said it wasn't much farther," Cloud heard Tifa mutter as he she wiped the sweat from her brow.

Cloud did not reply, not that he didn't agree with her. The ground in front of them started to rise steeply again, and suddenly the jungle started to thin out slightly, enough for them to see ahead. Above them the ground sloped sharply upward, rising up higher and narrowing until it reached a peak far above their heads. They all stopped, looking at the mountain in front of them.

"I hope we don't have to go all the way up there?" Cid questioned, his face paling.

"No," Ellengio replied. "The cave is just up the slope now. It's not far at all."

Ellengio was about to start forward again when Aeris stopped him.

"What's that?"

Ellengio seemed about to ask her something but stopped. They could all hear the sound coming from the jungle behind them.

"Sounds like drums," Cid said slowly.

They all looked at Ellengio.

"There is a native apelike creature here," Ellengio said slowly, as if trying to remember. "Low intelligence and few in number. They won't give us any trouble."

He turned and continued on. The others started after him, but not before both Cloud and Cid had unlimbered their weapons.

The ground sloped steeply up, and thought he trees had thinned the undergrowth was still as think as ever. Their progress was slowed to a crawl. But this time Ellengio had been accurate in his statement that they did not have far to go. Soon they saw another wall of granite rise up in front of them. As they approached it they made out the first man made object they had seen on the island. At the base of the granite cliff they could see entrance to a cave, and just inside the entrance they could make out a large stone door.

They stepped out into an open clearing surrounding the cave. Ellengio walked rapidly over to it. The others followed more cautiously. The sound of the drums continued uninterrupted in the background, and now Cloud was looking around suspiciously. He had seen furtive movements out of the corner of his eye a few times, though when he turned to look around he saw nothing. Still, his instincts told him that something, or someone, was nearby.

Ellengio stepped up to the door and started fiddling with some device on it. Cloud walked up beside him and saw that it was three concentric dials set one within the other. Cloud watched him for a moment as Ellengio turned them slowly, but soon decided he would be of no help there. Cloud walked back out into the clearing, looking around suspiciously. A movement caught his eye in the bushes to his left. He turned quickly and caught a glimpse of a large grey creature for a moment, but it disappeared almost immediately. His gaze drifted around the jungle surrounding the clearing. From the faint movements and sounds in the trees he could tell that there were quite a few of the creatures watching them.

He stood with his sword in his hands, ready for anything, but nothing further happened. Ellengio had said these creatures would not cause any trouble. Perhaps they were just curious about these strange newcomers to their island.

Cloud turned to say something to Ellengio. Immediately a dark object whizzed by him. The spear struck the rocks near Aeris, who jerked back with a cry of surprise.

"Damn bastards!" Cid exclaimed.

Cloud ran back to the cave, standing in the entrance with Cid beside him, with the other three behind them.

"I thought you told me they wouldn't cause any trouble," Cloud stated with a hint of anger.

Ellengio did not look up at him, just started spinning the dials on the door faster.

"They didn't bother us the last time I was here," he replied. "But that was a long time ago."

A dozen more spears flew out of the trees. Most of them bounced harmlessly off the rocks around them. Cloud batted one aside, while one got through and stuck the stone door near Tifa.

"Can we hurry it up here?" Cid suggested, looking at Ellengio.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Ellengio replied. "Like I said, it's been a long time. If I make a mistake with the sequence I have to start all over again."

Another volley of spears flew towards them. Cid grunted in pain as one struck him in the ankle.

"Can somebody remind me again why I came along?" he grumbled.

"We're sitting ducks out here," Cloud stated.

Tifa came up beside him.

"Your weapons are useless if they stay in the trees," she stated. There was a flash of green light as she cast cure on Cid.

Cloud nodded in agreement, pulling out a materia orb as well. He concentrated for a moment, then lightning flashed through the jungle in front of him. There were screams, quite similar to that of a human, and the crashing of bodies through the underbrush as the remaining creatures retreated.

"That's it, run you bastards!" Cid shouted after them, standing up and placing his weight on his now recovered leg. "Bet they won't be back for a while."

Cloud walked slowly back into the clearing. He looked around but saw no sign that any of the creatures were nearby.

"Looks like we scared them off," he agreed. "But still in all, I wish you'd hurry up with that door. Who knows when they might come back."

"I've got it," Ellengio said.

He stood up and pushed, and the stone door slowly opened up, revealing a narrow passage that quickly disappeared into darkness.

"Bout time," Cid muttered. Ellengio produced a flashlight and snapped it on, then walked quickly into the cave, the others right behind. Cloud took one last look around before following, but saw nothing.

The passage led almost straight into the hillside, with no turns or side passages. The floor sloped slightly downward, but other than that seemed to run perfectly straight. The walls were smooth. The tunnel had obviously been cut in the rock by artificial means.

They walked on for a while. Cloud found it hard to keep track of time in the darkness around them. He kept listening for any sound of persuit, but all was quiet behind them. Eventually they came out into a much larger chamber, and Cloud could see right away that this one was a natural cavern. The walls where rough and the floor was covered with stalagmites. But on the far side of the room he could see that the wall had been cut away.

Ellengio led them in that direction. Cloud felt a slight tremor and stopped for a moment. Listening carefully he thought he heard a sound coming from the passageway they had entered from. A low rumbling, so faint he could barely hear it. It was gone in a moment. He looked at the others but none of them seemed to have noticed.

They were all gathered around Ellengio at the far end of the chamber, staring at something where the wall had been cut into. Cloud walked up beside them and stared in shock. Beneath the wall were the polished bones of a manlike creature. They were obviously ancient, yet appeared to be in surprisingly good condition. The cartiledge holding them together had long since decomposed, and they had fallen apart. Some had obviously disappeared altogether, but the rest had been arranged on the ground in order, or as close to the correct order as could be acheived. The bones were arranged with the creature on it's back, and looked remarkably human. Though it was clearly not human. It was much taller and thinner than a man, but what really stood out was the long bones that ran out on either side of it's back.

"What the hell is that thing?" Cloud asked.

"That is what was found in this cave over two thousand years ago," Ellengio replied. "The crystal materia was found nearby."

Aeris looked at Ellengio thoughtfully.

"So you think this thing came here from space with the crystal materia?" she said.

"That is what we believe," Ellengio replied.

Cloud pointed at the long bones coming off the skeletons back.

"What are those, wings?"

Ellengio nodded.

"We think so," he replied. "The bones were scattered when we first found it. We pieced it together as best we could."

Cloud looked at the skeleton thoughtfully.

"So for all you know, this configuration could be completely wrong."

"I doubt if it's completely wrong," Ellengio replied. "It's so similar to our own structure that most of it is almost certainly correct. There were only a few minor bones whose place was disputed."

"Like the wings?" Cloud suggested. He would hardly consider that minor.

"It's possible," Ellengio replied.

"But how do you know it's not something from this planet?" Cid questioned. "Maybe it's just some poor creature who got lost down here and died of starvation in these tunnels."

"A good question," Ellengio replied. "Because there was one other thing found down here. What I am seeking now."

He swung the flashlight around. It danced along the floor unitl it came upon a metal box that gleamed in the light not far from the foot of the skeleton.

They all walked over to it. The outside of the box was a silvery color that reflected the light quite well, but other than that seemed perfectly ordinary. There was no sign of a hasp or lock, and Ellengio reached down and flipped it open.

Inside was what looked like a rather large book. Ellengio reached in and picked it up. He flipped it open and the others could see that the pages were as new as if they had been printed yesterday. There was no sign of fading or yellowing.

"That book was here as well?" Cloud questioned.

"And the box," Ellengio replied.

"The box?" Tifa said in surprise.

"The box," Ellengio repeated. "It's made of a metal completely unknown to this world even now, much less two thousand years ago. Anything placed inside it will remain perfectly preserved. The crystal materia was in the box, as well as this book, but the humans who first found this were only interested in the crystal. They were too primitive to realize the value of the book, and had no inkling at all of the box's properties. It was fortunate they didn't destroy anything. The creature that brought this here must have considered the book to be of great value to have gone to such lengths to see that was preserved."

Cloud couldn't argue with that conclusion.

"So what's in the book," he asked. "What does it say?"

"We don't know," Ellengio replied.

"What do you mean?" Tifa asked.

"We've never been able to translate it," Ellengio responded. "It's written in a language totally alien to us. We have no common ground, no basis for understanding. We were never able to decipher it."

Cloud looked puzzled.

"So why come for it then?" he asked.

"Things have changed," Ellengio replied. "The last time anyone worked on this was almost two thousand years ago. After Jenova came with the plague the Cetra had no more time for research into such things, we were busy just trying to survive. Now you humans have reached a level of scientific acheivement comparable to what the Cetra once had, and in many cases exceeded it. It may be time to take another crack at it. I understand the one you call Nanaki is quite proficient with languages. Perhaps he could shed some light on this for us."

Cloud nodded in agreement. Ellengio placed the book back in the box, then lifted it up.

"Well, we've got what we came for," he stated. "Now let's go see what awaits us in the jungle outside."

He led them swiftly back through the passageway. Cloud was right behind Ellengio now, materia already in his hand. Hopefully that one encounter with lightning would be enough to keep the creatures away, but he was more than willing to give them another dose of it if need be.

They were almost back to the entrance when he began to suspect that something was not quite right.

"I think we're pretty close to the entrance," he stated. "Why don't I see any light?"

Ellengio did not reply, but his pace quickened. He glanced back and Cloud could see the concern on his face. He obviously thought something was wrong too.

"Do you think they came back and closed the door on us?" Cloud questioend, the idea coming to him suddenly.

"It wouldn't do them any good," Ellengio replied. "The door opens easily from this side. But I'm sure they wouldn't know that."

"Just like you were sure they wouldn't cause any trouble," Cid pointed out.

"Don't remind me," Ellengio replied.

They reached the door, and though it was open, the entrance was blocked by a huge granite boulder.

Ellengio stood there shining the light on it.

"Damn!" Cid exclaimed and went off in a very colorful string of curses.

"They must have started a rockslide above the cave," Ellengio said slowly. "I didn't think they were clever enough..."

They were all silent for a moment.

"So what are we going to do?" Tifa said nervously.

Cloud looked at the boulder in front of them. It was obviously much to large to ever budge by hand. He pulled out a green materia.

"Get back," he said.

The others retreated a few meters back into the pasasgeway. After a moment there was a flash of green light, then a loud explosion, almost deafening in the narrow confines of the cave. This was followed by a loud rumbling sound and they felt the ground tremble under their feet. They heard a shout from Cloud, then he came running back toward them, the tunnel behind him billowing with a cloud of dust.

"Back!" he shouted.

They hurried further down the passageway. The rumbling sound died out behind them and they stopped once more. Ellengio trained the flashlight on Cloud and they saw he was covered with dirt and dust.

"I tried to use Ultima, but it just brought the entire cavern down," he said. "We're not gonna get out that way."

"Is there any other way?" Tifa asked, looking quickly at Ellengio.

The Cetra shook his head.

"Not that I'm aware of."

Tifa fought hard to keep the fear out of her voice.

"So how do we get out of here?"

No one replied. Ellengio looked around.

"We'll have to go back to the cavern. There are some tunnels off it. I don't know if all of them were ever fully explored. Perhaps there is another way."

None of them seemed to thrilled about his answer, but there wasn't much else to do but go along. They walked back to the main cavern and looked around. There were two tunnels leading away from the cavern. One opposite the passage them came in and one to the right. They explored the one opposite and after walking a few meters found that it came to a dead end. They retraced their steps and went down the other passage. This one twisted and turned sharply a few times and then also came to a dead end.

"Great," Cid muttered. "Now what do we do?"

Ellengio shook his head and said nothing.

"There's no way out," Tifa said, as if talking to herself. Cloud looked at her sharply. He could tell she was scared, hell, he couldn't blame her for that, they all were. But she was trying her best to hide it.

"No chance we could dig out through the entrance?" Cid said, looking at Cloud, but not very hopefully.

"No way," Cloud replied. He realized now that using the Ultima materia had been a stupid thing to do, even though no one would say so. It had only gotten them buried even deeper. But what else could he have done? There was no way they were going to move that boulder by hand. No matter what they did, they couldn't have gotten out through the entrance, but what other way was there?

They sat in silence for some time, each engrossed in their own thoughts. Most of those thoughts revolved around an unpleasent death.

Suddenly Aeris looked up.

"Can you hear that?" she quesitoned.

The others looked at her.

"What?" Cloud asked.

"Shhh," she admonished. "It sounds like..."

They all fell silent again. Cloud strained his ears, but heard nothing.

"...running water," Aeris finished.

She got up and walked slowly back toward the end of the cave. It narrowed at the end, the rocks becoming jagged, with deep crevices lining the walls. All of them too small to pass through.

She stopped in front of one of them.

"It is water," she said. "Come here and listen."

The others quickly gathered round her. They could all hear it now, coming faintly from a dark crevice near the floor at the back of the cave.

Ellengio shined the flashlight inside.

"I don't see anything," he stated.

"But there's obviously water back there somewhere," Cloud said. "Which means there must be another tunnel. And that could be a way out."

"Possibly," Ellengio replied. "But sound travels funny underground. What we could be hearing may be miles away. And we can't get through this crevice anyway. It's much too small."

"Well, damn, it doesn't look like we've got much choice," Cid stated firmly. "Maybe we can make this crevice a little wider."

With that he jammed his spear into the crevice.

There was a loud cracking sound, and the wall of the cavern fell away. They heard the sudden sound of rushing water, and the spash of rocks falling in it. Then the ground gave way beneath them, and they found themselves plunging downward.

Cloud heard Tifa cry out and lunged for her, but she vanished in the sudden pitch darkness around them. With a loud splash he found himself immersed in ice cold water. He came up to the surface, sputtering. He couldn't see a thing. The current was pulling him along rapidly, though exactly how fast he couldn't really tell in the dark. He called out to the others, but heard no response above the roar of the water. He banged roughly against a wall. He reached out and his hands slid along it, but they could find no purchase, and he continued to be pulled helplessly along. Suddenly he saw light in front of him, growing rapidly. The roar of the water was getting louder too, and he suddenly realized where he was and what was about to happen.

He looked around again, and in the growing light saw someones bobbing head not far away. He shouted as loud as he could, and when the person turned toward him he saw it was Aeris. He struggled to swim over to her but could not seem to get any closer. The light was bright as day now, and he could see the end of the tunnel, the opening ahead of him, and hear the roar of the water as it plunged down the cliff face outside.

He struggled against the current for a moment, but soon realized it was hopeless. He saw Aeris disappear over the edge, and a moment later he flew out into the air himself.

For a second he could see the jungle below him once more, but then it was obscured in the spray as he plunged down the waterfall. He hit the pond below and sank down for a moment, then kicked his feet and shot back up to the surface. He looked around and saw Aeris nearby. Suddenly the water erupted beside him. He turned and a moment later Tifa and Ellengio appeared on the surface of the pond. Cloud immeditately swam over to Tifa.

"Are you all right?" he asked, shouting to be heard above the roar of the water.

"Yeah," she replied, with almost a dazed look on her face. "What a rush!"

Cloud just shook his head. He looked around.

"Where's Cid?"

They all looked around, but saw no sign of him.

Cloud looked up suddenly. For a moment he saw the figure hurtling downwards, arms and legs flailing wildly. And even above the roar of the waterfall he could hear Cid's yell.

"Sssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!"

Cloud turned away as the water from Cid's splashdown washed over him. Cid came sputtering to the surface. They all swan to the edge of the pond and pulled themselves out.

Tifa looked at Cid, who had pulled out a soaking wet pack of cigarettes and was looking at it forlornly.

"Next time would you be a little more careful where you poke that spear?" she said.

"Hey, it got us out of there, didn't it?" he replied.

"That it did," Cloud agreed. "And we didn't have to climb back down the cliff either. And we got a free ride and a nice swim out of it as well. Who says nothing ever goes smoothly for us?"

Cid just sat back, leaning against a tree.

"Nobody," he replied. "Nobody at all."


	3. Still a Few Bugs in the System

CHAPTER III

STILL A FEW BUGS IN THE SYSTEM

Calin glanced up from his computer and gave a little jerk of surprise to find someone standing right beside him.

"Damn, Ice, do you have to sneak up on me like that?"

Ice just looked at him humorlessly.

"The boss just told me we have another job."

"That's nice," Calin said, not very excitedly. "So you get to go kill someone else? How nice for you. Now if you don't mind I'm busy with my research."

"That's just it," Ice replied, completely ignoring his sarcasm. "This is a very special hit. The boss wants to use your 'secret project'."

Calin suddenly looked very interested.

"My secret project?" he repeated.

"Yes," Ice affirmed. "He seems to think it would be perfect for the job. God knows where he got that idea from."

"Her," Calin said, looking at him darkly. "Not it, her."

Ice gave him a sardonic smile.

"Whatever," he replied. "Personally I think he's got a screw loose to even consider this. But then again, when 'she' screws up big time, maybe the boss will finally realize what a waste it was to have you and all your annoying projects around in the first place."

Calin looked at him darkly. He wasn't really interested in Ice's opinion to begin with.

"So who's the target?"

"Barret Wallace."

Calin looked at him in surprise.

"Barret Wallace, the Mayor of Corel?"

"The very same," Ice replied. "And a card carrying member of Avalanche, who I'm sure even a hermit scientist like you has heard of."

Calin resisted the urge to snap back at Ice. He knew it was pointless. The man was completely oblivious to such things. He hadn't been given the name Ice for nothing. And anyway, Calin knew he was just trying to bait him.

"Do you still think your project can handle it?" Ice asked.

"Of course she can," Calin replied, with just a hint of indignance. He had to admit he was surprised though, and even a little nervous. The Fog had never gone after someone so prominent before. It would not be an easy undertaking.

"I think she's training in the gym right now," he continued. "I'll go inform her immediately."

He got up and stepped awkwardly around Ice, who made no move to get out of his way. He walked rapidly down the hall, glad to get away from the other man. He didn't understand why Ice disliked him so much, but it was obvious that he did. But that didn't matter. He had the boss' support, and for all Ice's bluster he knew his place. They didn't have to like one another as long as they did their jobs.

Besides, there was another side to the coin. Ice was hoping that this project would fail, that Calin would be disgraced. But on the other hand, if it succeeded, then Calin would finally get the recognition he deserved. He would be on at least equal footing with Ice then, and maybe even surpass him! Maybe when this was all over he would be having meetings with the boss and be telling Ice what to do. Perhaps that was Ice's real concern.

Calin couldn't help but smile at that thought.

He reached the gym and opened one of the doors. Inside he beheld four men with stout wooden staffs in their hands. In the center of them stood a young woman. Though she had long silver hair she appeared to be no older then sixteen or seventeen years of age. She was clothed in a simple grey blouse and black pants. She held no weapon.

One of the men lunged at her. She dodged nimbly ouf of the way. She kicked at the man, catching him in the shoulder and sending him stumbling backwards. Immediately the man behind her stuck with his staff, but she lept out of the way, even though she was facing away from him, and his staff struck only air.

She whirled around, striking out, most of the time hitting her opponents, then bolting out of the way, dodging the blows again and again. She was constantly on the move, never giving her opponents a stationay target for more than a split second. Her body seemed to move of it's own accord, without thought. She twisted round and lunged out from within the circle, then turned and kicked one of the men in the back who was slow to face her. He fell to the ground, his weapon clattering away.

The girl spun around and stopped as she saw Calin for the fist time.

"Hello Father," she said cheerfuly.

One of the men lunged forward and stuck her in the back of the knee. With a cry she stumbled and fell to the ground. The three men who were still standing rushed toward her with staffs raised.

The girl made no move to defend herself, instead she just lay there, staring off into space.

There was a crack as a bolt of lightning suddenly ripped through the air, knocking all her opponents off their feet.

The girl lept up, ready to continue the fight.

"Enough," Calin stated.

The four men got slowly to their feet as the girl walked rapidly over to him, a warm smile on her face.

"It wasn't very fair of you to do that, Amanda," Calin chided.

Amanda looked at him for a moment.

"Well, it _was_ four to one," she defended herself. "And they had me down. What was I supposed to do?"

"You would not have been down in the first place if you had not been so cocky," Calin replied. "You didn't think that man could reach you when you waved to me."

Amanda dismissed his contention with a toss of her head.

"A minor miscalculation," she replied.

"Which could someday get you killed," he stated.

She smiled and shook her head.

"Oh Father, you always take things so seriously."

"That may be true," he replied. "And I have something serious to discuss now. Come."

He led her out of the gym and into a small conference room not far down the hall. He motioned for her to be seated, and she did so, while he remained standing. She looked at him expentantly.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I have some news," he said slowly. "About your _real_ parents."

Immediately the smile on Amanda's face faded.

Calin was looking at her closely.

"We found out who murdered them. The man's name is Barret Wallace."

Barret Wallace. Amanda just stared at him. The name seemed vaguely familar, but she wasn't thinking about that now. After all these years...

"How?" she questioned.

"We kept digging," Calin replied. "We found some old Shinra records. They led us to a person who was an eyewitness."

Amanda bushed a lock of silver hair away from her face, not sure what to say. How long had she been waiting to hear this news? Seemed like all her young life. Ever since Calin had told her how her parents had been brutally murdered, she had a burning desire to find out who had done it, and exact her own form of revenge.

"He's the Mayor of Corel now," Calin informed her. "He's a survivor. Always seems to manage to come out ahead, no matter who gets sacrificed in the process. He was the one who brought Shinra into Corel in the first place. Then when things started to go sour for Shinra he switched sides and became a member of Avalanche."

Avalanche. That's where she had heard the name before. She didn't really pay much attention to the news, but she had heard of them.

"Weren't they the ones who stopped Meteor?" she asked.

Calin nodded.

"Yes, but Barret Wallace actually had very little to do with it. Basically he just joined them to be on the winning side, and I must say, it worked out very well for him. Now he controls Corel, and I'm afraid he has bigger plans than that. He's ruthless, Amanda, he must be stopped."

Amanda just nodded. She didn't need any added incentive. The fact that he had killed her parents was enough.

She looked up at Calin.

"So what do you want me to do?" she asked.

Calin slowly came over and sat down beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"We have a plan."

* * *

"Could you hand me that screwdriver, please?" Reeve inquired.

"Certainly, Reeve."

The large white Mog turned and looked at the table. His hand reached out and then paused.

"Which one?" Cait inquired.

"The smaller one on the right," Reeve replied.

Cait reached out and picked up the screwdriver Reeve had selected. He handed it over and Reeve reached into a small panel thst stood open in the Mog's back. The space inside was difficult and confining to work in, but moving carefully he finally managed to get the screwdriver aligned properly. With a few twists he tighted the final screw holding the new circuit board in place.

"That'll do it," he muttered. He closed the panel on Cait's back and handed the screwdriver back.

"Now can I have the other one?" he asked.

"Sure," Cait replied. He picked up the other screwdriver and handed it to Reeve.

"Thanks," Reeve replied. He tightened the two screws holding the back panel on, then let the flap of fur fall back down to conceal it. He slapped Cait on the back.

"All set," he said cheerfully. "How do you feel?"

Cait spun around and looked at him.

"I feel fine," he replied. "How are you?"

"Couldn't be better," Reeve said with a laugh. He stood back and looked Cait up and down. Cait returned the gaze, tilting his head and looking at Reeve.

"What's so amusing?" he inquired.

Reeve shook his head, the smile still on his face.

"It's just so strange," he replied. "I'm used to controling you through the computer. I'm usually looking through your eyes when I see you move. I'm not used to you walking and talking in front of me like this."

Cait shurgged.

"Well, that's what you designed the new program to do, wasn't it? To let me function independently?"

"Yes, of course," Reeve replied. "But it's still kind of odd to actually see it work after all this time controling you directly."

Cait did not reply. Reeve had added the new motherboard this morning, and had been testing Cait ever since, and Cait had performed flawlessly. With final axuillary boards in place to control fine motor coordination, Cait was now fully funtional as an independant unit. Reeve couldn't have been prouder if it were his own offspring he was conversing with.

"I can't wait to show you to the others," Reeve stated.

"Others?" Cait questioned.

"The other members of Avalanche," Reeve replied. Since Reeve had controlled Cait directly, there had been no reason for him to retain any 'memories'. However, now that he was on his own Reeve thought he would need that infomation, so Reeve had added a memory board that contained all the information he thought Cait would need about all the members of Avalanche.

"Of course," Cait replied. "When are we going to see them?"

"Well, Aeris and Zack are here in Infalnia, as you know, so we can see them whenever we wish. I guess we'll have to take a little road trip and visit the others."

"I'd like that," Cait replied.

They both turned as the door to the workshop opened and Zack walked in. He looked around for a moment, his eyes finally resting on Cait.

"Hello Zack," Cait greeted him.

Zack looked at him in surprise, then turned to Reeve.

"What the hell is that?" he questioned.

"It's Cait Sith," Reeve replied. "The robot I used to use when I still worked for Shinra. Remember, we told you about him?"

Zack nodded, then seemed to pay it no more attention.

"Where's Aeris?" he questioned.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Reeve replied.

"Are you sure?"

Something in the way Zack said it caught Reeve attention. Zack was looking at him carefully, a slightly skeptical expression on his face.

"Yes I'm sure," Reeve replied, somewhat testily. "I haven't seen her all day."

"Neither has anyone else," Zack said evenly. "She's gone."

"Gone?" Reeve questioned. "Gone where?"

Zack folded his arms across his chest and continued to look at Reeve closely.

"I thought you might be able to tell me," he said.

Reeve was further put out by the accusatory tone Zack was using.

"I have no idea where she went," Reeve stated firmly, and a bit defensively. "Have you asked Elmyra?"

Zack nodded.

"Yes, and she said she didn't know, but she's not a very good liar."

Reeve stared at Zack, further angered that he would say such a thing about Elmyra.

"What do you want?" Reeve stated, no longer making any pretense of being civil.

"I told you, I want to know where Aeris is," Zack restated. "I've looked everywhere. She's not in Infalnia. Elymra knows something, but she won't tell me. What's going on?"

"I told you," Reeve said. "I haven't the slightest idea. I didn't even know she was gone until you walked in here just now and told me."

Reeve was not thrilled about being grilled over this by Zack, but he also felt suddenly concerned about Aeris. If what Zack was saying was true, what could have happened to her?

"Have you asked Ellengio?" Reeve questioned.

"He's gone too," Zack stated.

"So they must have gone somewhere together," Reeve mused, for a moment forgetting his anger. What could they be up to?

"Without telling either one of us?" Zack said doubtfully. "It seems unlikely."

"What are you saying?" Cait questioned. They both ingored him.

"She must have told you something," Zack insisted.

"I told you, she didn't," Reeve replied, his anger returning. Who the hell did Zack think he was to come in here and question him like this? "And even if she had, I wouldn't tell you!"

Zack took a step toward him.

"Yes you would."

Reeve did not give any ground.

"Reeve?" Cait said questioningly.

"Or what?" Reeve questioned. "You going to slice me up with that big sword of yours?"

"I don't need my sword to take on the likes of you," Zack snarled.

For a moment they stood there looking at one another. Finally Reeve shook his head.

"You're being an idiot. I don't think we have anything more to dicuss," he said stiffly, turning away.

Zack came up behind him and grabbed him on the shoulder.

"We're not done yet," he said angrily.

Reeve twisted back around to face him, but even as he did so a huge white arm shot out and slammed into Zack, sending him careening across the room to slam heavily into the far wall.

For a second Reeve just stood there in shock. But he roused himself from it when he saw Cait charging past him toward Zack once more.

"Cait, no!" he cried out.

Cait raised his arms and smashed them down on Zack again, knocking him to the ground. He hit Zack three more times, Reeve shuddering at the force of the blows. Zack tried to scramble out of the way while protecting his head and upper body with his arms.

"Cait, stop!" Reeve shouted.

The Mog did not seem to hear. Zack tried to get to his feet, but Cait knocked him down again. Zack had been surprised by the intial attack, and stunned by the fierceness of Cait's blows, causing him to remain strickly on the defensive. But now he tried to fight back. He had his sword on his back, but the Mog gave him no time to draw it, even if that was what he was thinking. Zack struck at Cait with his fists, but the huge Mog body absorbed the blows easily. Cait suddenly grabbed hold of him and tossed him across the room again.

"Cait!" Reeve shouted desperately, even though he realized by this time that the Mog wasn't going to listen. He looked around helpessly, his eyes falling on the shotgun propped up against the wall next to the worktable. He stepped over and grabbed hold of it, raising it and turning toward Cait.

Cait charged at Zack again, who was lying on the ground, shaking the cobwebs out of his head. He saw Cait coming at him again and lept to his feet, pullling out his sword in one fluid motion. Cait aimed a vicious kick at him. Zack lunged to the side and his sword sliced through the air. There was a crackling sound and sparks flew. Cait fell to the ground. He tried to get up, but stumbled again immediately, lunging for Zack. One of his legs was useless, having been nearly severed by Zack's sword.

Zack darted away from Cait until he was safely out of the big Mog's range. He turned to look at Reeve, seething with anger.

"You'll pay for that!" he shouted.

He stepped toward Reeve, sword raised. Reeve stood there for a moment, too stunned to say anything, frozen in place. His eyes were locked on Zack's sword, which stood poised above him. He felt his shotgun in his hands, but he knew he could never use the weapon on Zack. His stepped back against the wall, raised his arms above his head in a senseless attempt to protect himself, and awaited his fate.

Reeve wasn't sure how long he stood there, bracing himself for the blow. It must have only been a few moments, yet it seemed much longer to him. But eventually he realized, much to his surprise, that he still lived.

He lowered one of his arms and looked at Zack, who still stood in front of him, as if turned to stone. But then Zack's arms slowly dropped down to his side, the sword clattering to the ground beside him. His anger was suddenly gone, as fast as it had appeared. For a moment a look of horror passed across his face, as the color slowly drained out of it. His mouth moved, but no sound came out.

Reeve lowered his arms as well, stunned himself by the way he had lost control of Cait.

"Zack...", he started, but his voice failed. Not that it mattered. Even as he spoke Zack had turned his back and deliberately walked out of the room.

Reeve stood there staring down at the shotgun he still held in his hands, an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Oh God," he muttered.

* * *

"This place gives me the creeps."

Vincent did not reply, nor even turn toward her. Not that she had really been expecting any answer. She looked at him. He seemed perfectly at ease walking through the gloom of the dark corrider in front of her. He was difficult to make out, even though she was but a few paces behind him. His unnatural abillity to blend into the shadows still made her feel uncomfortable at times, in spite of the fact that she knew him so well.

"I still don't understand what you're looking for," she continued, not letting his inability to hold up his end of the conversation deter her in any way. "The last thing I wanted to be doing today was go stumbling around in the ruins of Midgar. I don't know why we just couldn't go to the beach like I suggested."

Vincent turned around until she could see one red eye, and cast a sharp glance at her.

"We're looking for information," he replied, as if that answered all her questions. "Besides, I'm not really the beach type."

You can say that again, she thought. Even in the gloom the pale skin of his face stood out. He looked away and continued down the debris filled corrider, Elena following behind, trying to keep up and at the same time watch her step in the darkness. She heard a clattering sound, far off from down a hallway as she passed in front of it, like the rattling of old bones, and she felt herself start. She looked around again nervously, thinking how much the building had changed. She could remember how she had been so impressed the first time she had been in Shinra headquarters, soon after becoming a Turk. Impressed with it's elegance, impressed with it's sheer size. The place had become her home away from home. She had spent nearly all her time here in those days, the days before Meteor fell and Shinra was destroyed.

"A little sun would probably do you some good," she muttered, not in the mood to be very diplomatic. "And information, what does that mean? That could be anything. How am I supposed to help you look if I don't know what I'm looking for?"

"I'm not sure myself," Vincent replied, not turning toward her.

"So how are we going to know when we find anything?" Elena stated petulantly.

Vincent stopped and turned toward her so abruptly it made her jump.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you that Midgar is crawling with dangerous creatures these days," he said softly but firmly. "Some of them have excellent hearing."

Elena glared at him. She realized that the volume of her converstation had been increasing, and that he was right, but she still didn't appreciate being treated like a child.

"I just want to know what's going on," she said quietly. "After all this time, don't you realize by now that I'm on your side?"

For a moment he just looked at her with that expressionless face. Then he stepped toward her and took hold of her hand.

"I'm sorry," he said, then hesitated, looking down the corridor behind her absently. She turned to glance that way but saw nothing. She immediately turned back toward him. It was the first time he had ever said that to her.

"I'm looking for information on Hojo's experiments," he continued slowly in a hushed voice. "I know Hojo had a lab on the upper floors, but that was destroyed by Meteor. I didn't know until Zack reappeared that he also had a lab down in the basement, where Zack took Shera when he was under Hojo's control. Or the control of Hojo's computer program. At that time I didn't get a chance to look around very much. I'd like to take a closer look."

Elena nodded slowly, feeling better that he had answered her question, with not too much coaxing and in a straightforward manner, for once. She was surprised at him.

"But what do you want to know about Hojo's experiments anyway?" she asked, deciding to test just how far she could go with this. "After what he did to you, I would think the last thing you would want to do is be reminded of him. Unless this has something to do with what he did to you..."

She looked at him carefully, trying to gauge his response. She had never brought up the subject of the experiments Hojo had performed on Vincent before. She had told herself time and again that she never would. She didn't even know why she had said it now. She hadn't intented to, she had just blurted it out without thinking.

Vincent stood there looking at her for a long time. Even in the semi darkness, this close to him she could see his face clearly, though she could not read it. Not that that was anything unusual. What she had just said could have stung him to the core, or it might have had no effect whatsoever. Either way she couldn't tell.

Finally he turned away.

"I didn't want to worry you," he said very softly and with obvious difficulty.

Elena slowly came up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder, her delight at his openness suddenly tempered by concern.

"Worry me?"

He sighed and turned toward her again.

"I'm looking for any research Hojo might have left concerning my transformation into the Chaos beast. I need to understand it, because of what's happening to me."

She looked at him with a puzzled expression. What little delight she got from his openess, as well as her earilier anger, were quickly fading away as her concern grew.

"What is happening to you?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. He paused for a moment before continuing.

"To a certain extent I've always been able to exhibit some control over the transformation. It seems a lot of it has to do with my state of mind. As you've probably already noticed, fierce emotions tend to set it off. But what you might not know is that the urge to transform is always there. It never really goes away, just becomes weaker and stronger. Usually it is easy to control, but lately the urge has been becoming stronger and stronger."

"What?" Elena said, looking at him in surprise. He had never made mention of this before.

"It's been happening slowly," Vincent said. "For a long time I thought it was just my imagination.But I don't think that any longer. I can tell it's stronger now, I can feel it even as we speak. The urge to transform is always with me, but lately it's more urgent than ever. It used to be extremely difficult to start the transformation, but lately almost anything seems to be able to set if off. I've changed five times in the last month, everytime for no very compelling reason. It's getting more and more difficult to control."

Elena gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"I had no idea," she said slowly.

Vincent seemed about to shake her arm off, but thought better of it. He was never one who had cared much for sympathy.

"So I'm hoping to find something Hojo might have left behind to perhaps help me learn how to control it. If it goes on like this, if the urge keeps getting stronger, I don't know how much longer I can resist."

He tuned and walked on. She followed him silently. She was glad he had told her what was on his mind, even though he had been right and it would cause her to worry. She had to admit that his ability to transform into the Chaos beast had been a distinct advangtage at times, and had probably saved their lives on more than one occasion. Yet, for what it did to Vincent, the ability had always been more curse than boon. And now, if he couldn't control it, what would happen to him? If the transformations were coming more often, when would it all end? Could it be that he might eventually turn into the Chaos beast permanently?

Elena glanced at Vincent, the realization of what she had just thought sinking in. What had Hojo had in mind when he had done what he had done to Vincent? Who could read the mind of a psycho like Hojo, but it was obvious from what she had heard of the tale that Hojo had wanted Vincent to suffer, suffer more than any man had suffered before. But even though he was mad Hojo was no fool. Perhaps he had given thought to the possibilty that Vincent might someday escape from the coffin that had imprisoned him. Would it be too much of a stretch to believe that Hojo had deliberately created the Chaos beast inside Vincent knowing full well it would somehow destroy him if he ever escaped from Hojo's snare? Elena had to admit it seemed like just the sort of twisted thing that Hojo would have delighted in.

Quite suddenly she decided she didn't blame Vincent for wantiing to come here one bit.

They walked down a narrow flight of stairs, the air around them becoming darker still, until Elena could barely see Vincent walking just a few paces in front of her. It must have been late afternoon outside, but ontly the faintest hint of light penentrated this far into Shinra headquarters.

She was about to suggest Vincent break out the flashlight she had seen him bring along when they turned a corner and saw light up ahead.

It was a ceiling light near the end of the corridor. The translucent plastic panel concealing it was cracked and fithly, but the bulb behind it still glowed palely. As they approached it they heard a scurrying sound and Elena saw something small quickly dash off into the shadows. Vincent glanced up at the light as they walked by.

"Looks like some of the lights still work from the last time we were here," he commented.

They walked on. Vincent glanced back at her for a moment when she did not reply, but did not speak. Elena was keeping a wary eye on the debris in the corridor around them. She wouldn't be too thrilled to run into any rats, but she could think of a lot worse things they might find.

They entered a large room, and Elena remained remarkably calm at the sight of the worn bones of three skeletons scattered on the floor. Though the bones had been picked clean by scavangers, most of the clothing still remained. She looked around suddenly, realizing where they were.

"Hey," she stated. "This was where I shot you."

He glanced over at her.

"Don't remind me," he said. "C'mon. It's not much farther now."

He led her down another hallway. She couldn't understand how he could remember the way after all this time, but a few miniutes later they came upon another room that had obviously been used as a lab at one time. This room was quite bright, with nearly half the ceiling lights still functional.

"Here we are," Vincent stated.

Elena stepped into the room and looked around.

"So what do I look for?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, I'm not really sure," Vincent replied. "I guess look in the desks for whatever notes or papers you can find."

Vincent walked off and Elena went over to a small nearby desk and began pulling open draws. She wasn't really too hopeful of finding anything. What were the odds they'd just stumble on the reasearch notes they needed? But what the heck, stranger things had been known to happen.

They spent the better part of an hour searching carefully through the room. Anything they found that might be even of vague interest they stacked on a large table in the center of the room. Neither one of them wanted to sit here in the ruins of Midgar for hours sorting through it all. They would take whatever looked promising with them when they left, and look it over at their leisure far away from here.

Twice Elena thought she heard something outside the door. Each time when she looked out, gun ready, she saw nothing. She looked at Vicnent after the second time.

"Thought I heard something," she said. "Must be my imagination."

He shook his head.

"No it's not."

That statement didn't exactly inspire confidence in her, but he said nothing more.

Finally there was but one cabinet in the back of the room left to look through. Elena left it for Vincent and sat down at the table beside their pile of 'keepers'. She stared at the papers in front of her. They had accumulated quite a collection. It wouldn't be an easy task carrying it all back with them.

The room was quiet, so silent that she could hear the faint buzzing of the overhead lights. It was more of a feeling than anything else. Perhaps a subtle change in the shadows was what gave it away, or perhaps senses long trained to detect danger. For whatever reason, she suddenly felt a presense behind her.

She stood up and spun around just as the huge claw smashed down, shattering the chair she had just vacated with a _crack_.

She wasn't sure what it was. It looked vaguely human, except for the crablike head and the huge mishapen claws at the end of it's arms. In any case, she didn't have time to stand there inspecting it.

The claw slashed at her again, and she tumbled to the floor to avoid it. The beast charged at her, both arms upraised, but she rolled to the right, directly underneath the table and scrambled to pull her gun out of her jacket.

The claws came down on top of the table, splintering it and sending their carefully collected papers scattering into the air. The table split in two and fell away, leaving Elena exposed once more. She rolled to the side again, narrowly missing the jagged edge of the broken table, then lept to her feet, finger on the trigger. But suddenly the creature was staggering backwards, blood spurting from it's forehead. Vincent fired the death penalty a second time, and the creature fell backwards to the ground. It struggled feebly for a moment, until Elena put two more bullets into it for good measure.

Vincent walked over to her.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Yes," Elena replied after taking a moment to catch her breath. "What was that thing?"

Vincent shrugged.

"All kinds of strange creatures running around here," he replied. "And I'm sure there's more where this came from. I've checked the last cabinet. Let's gather up what we have and get out of here. I think we're begining to overstay our welcome."

Elena nodded. Together they quickly picked up the papers that the beasts attack had scatttered. Then they started back the way they had come. None too soon for Elena.

The corridors outside were darker than ever. Elena wondered just how long they had been down here. Was it getting dark outside already? She wished Vincent would walk a little faster.

Even as she thought this he stopped suddenly. She looked at him, harder than ever to see in the gloom around them. He appeared to be listening intently.

She stood still and listened as well, but heard nothing. But then she did catch something, or thought she did. It was very faint, and she wasn't even sure she heard it, but it sounded like a stealthy footfall from somewhere ahead.

Vincent slowly bend down and placed the papers he had been holding down on the ground. He pulled out his weapon and turned to look at her, holding his fingers to his lips. Then he spun around and started silently forward.

Elena carefully put down her stack of papers and unholstered her gun as well, but she did not follow Vincent. She could barely see in the darkness, but even if it had been fully light she knew she could not match Vincent's silence as he moved along the hallway.

He didn't go far anyway. The corrider turned a corner no more than five meters in front of them. Vincent walked up to the corner and flattened himself against the wall. Elena could just barely make out his dark outline.

For what seemed like a long time he remained there motionless. Elena waited, gun ready, still listening carefully. Once or twice more she thought she heard the sound of a footstep, but it was so faint she could not be positive.

Suddenly there was a flash of movement. She heard a cry and saw Vincent struggling with another dark form. She dashed forward, gun held at the ready, as the two figures battled in front of her. For a moment she thought that Vincent was fighting another of the creatures that had attacked her in the other room, for it was humanoid in shape. But then she realized that it wasn't so. Much to her surprise she saw that he humanoid shape was in fact a human.

She stopped a few feet away from the two, ready to fire, but Vincent had a hold of the man and was trying to pull him down, and they were much too close together for her to get a clear shot.

Suddenly Vincent's opponent twisted round, trying to grab Vincent's leg and knock him to the floor. Vincent shifted his weight to avoid this, but doing so caused them both to overbalance. They staggered to the side and slammed heavily into the wall.

The wall shuddered and cracked, and suddenly a light in the ceiling over their head sputtered faintly to life.

Vincent's fist came around and struck his opponent on the side of hte head, knocking him over. But the movement made him loose his balance again, and he stumbled back toward Elena. She saw her opening and stepped forward, bringing her gun up.

But even as she was about to fire Vincent's hand suddenly shot and grabbed hold of her arm.

"Wait," he snapped.

Vincent was staring at the man, who was on one knee, holding his head where Vincent has struck him. The man was looking at them thoughtfully.

"A fine greeting after all this time, Vincent Valentine" the man said, the trace of a smile forming on his lips. "I must say your punches have developed a wee bit of sting since the last time we met. And who's this lovely lass by your side? Not that I'm complaining, mind ya, but you always were a bit of a loner."

Elena lowered her gun and looked at Vincent.

"You know this man?"

Vincent did not reply, just stood there looking at the other man.

"Of course he knows me," the man said, getting to his feet and wiping a bit of blood off his lip. He looked at Vincent.

"Even after all this time, I'm sure you haven't forgotten me, though I think it more'n likely that you would like to."

Vincent shook his head slowly.

"No, I haven't forgotten you, Vernon," he replied slowly.

Vernon walked slowly over to them, casting a long glance at Elena along the way.

"So are you going to introduce us?" he questioned.

Vincent gave him a look that was plainly unhappy, then turned toward Elena.

"Elena, this is Vernon Valentine," he said flatly. "My brother."


	4. Barret's Bodyguard

CHAPTER IV

BARRET'S BODYGUARD

Barret leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms over his head. Though it was nearly dark, he could still see the patter of the light rain against his window of his office. It had been raining all day, off and on.

He lowered his arms and stared at the stack of papers on his desk. He couldn't believe how busy things had been lately. Seemed like every day for the past month he'd been working until dusk, and there seemed to be no end in sight. Sometimes he wondered why the hell he had ever taken this job in the first place. Being Mayor wasn't all it was cracked up to be. If you did a good job everyone ignored you and if you screwed up the citizens never let you hear the end of it.

He stood up and stretched again. Well, he wasn't going to worry about it any longer, at least for today. The good thing was, by working so late, he didn't have any work to bring home with him this time.

He left the office and walked through the reception area, deserted now. His secretary at least had enough sense to go home at a decent hour. He switched off the light and started down the hall. The building was always pleasently quiet this time of the evening. Most of the offices were dark, though he saw one down at the end of the hall with the lights still on. At least he wasn't the only one stuck here late at night, small comfort that might be.

Barret reached the main entrance and stepped out into the rapidly falling darkness. Immediately he was hit with a blast of chill air. The rain that blew in his face was icy cold, and he pulled his recently acquired trench coat closer about him. A tall oak stood on either side of the entrance to the building, guarding it like silent sentries. Barret looked up and saw a handful of leaves still clinging tenaciously to the branches, defying the wind and the inevitable coming of winter.

He braced himself and strolled out into the cold rain. It was only a short walk to his modest home on the north side of Corel, but it obviously wasn't going to be pleasent. What a miserable day.

He hadn't walked more than a few paces when a sudden movement behind him made him spin around. A small figure had appeared seemingly out of nowhere to dash up beside him. He recongnized her immediately.

"Yuffie!" he exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Yuffie tossed the water from her hair with a shake of her head.

"Just happened to be in the area," she replied. "Thought I'd stop by and say hello."

He stood there for a moment looking at her.

"I'll bet," he replied finally. "No, really, what are you after? We already gave you all of our materia.'

"Why do I have to want something?' he retorted, looking hurt. "I come all the way here in the cold and rain to visit my friend and all I get is accusations? Whatever happened to 'Why hello, Yuffie, how nice of you to come see me, especially in this terrible weather'".

"Yuffie, I don't have time for this," Barret grumbled, started forward again.

She scampered after him.

"Hey, c'mon," she insisted. "I'm serious...and..."

He glanced back and looked at her darkly.

"And what?"

She hesitated for a moment.

"And...I need a favor."

Barret gave her a knowing look.

"What sort of favor?" he asked, with no doubt in his mind he would not like the answer.

"I'm gonna be here for a few days," she said slowly. "And I need a place to stay."

Barret pulled up short.

"You want to stay at my place?" he exclaimed. "No way! There's plenty of Inns in Corel."

"Well, I'm a little short of cash right now," she replied immediately. "C'mon. I won't cause any trouble."

"You won't cause any trouble?" he repeated. "That's like an oxymoron. You are trouble!"

"Who you calling a moron?"

"Not a chance, Yuffie. Why don't you just go back to Wutai."

"I can't," she snapped.

"Why not?'

She hesitated once more.

"I...I kind of got in trouble with Godo again. Nothing he won't get over, but I need to give him a couple of days to cool off. C'mon, Barret, as a fellow member of Avalanche, you've got to help me."

Barret snorted.

"Who made that rule?" he questioned.

"C'mon, Barret," she pleaded, trying and succeeding fairly well at looking pitiful. "I've got no place else to go."

"Yuffie, I..." he began, then stopped, seeing the look she was giving him. His mouth opened and closed a few times. "Stop that!" he said finally.

Yuffie just pressed closer to him.

"C'mon," she intoned.

He turned away, but she quickly came up beside him and leaned forward until she could see his face again.

"Just for a few days..." she cajoled.

"I said stop that!" he shouted, whirling his arms in the air. "That's not fair, giving me that puppy dog look!"

She ignored his outburst.

"Puleeeeez?"

He stood there for a moment as the veins bulged in his forhead.

"Arrggghh! All right! All right! I give up. You can stay. But just for a few days. God, I must be completely losing my mind."

Yuffie's face immediately brightened into a smile.

"Thank you Barret," she said politely.

He just mumbled something unintelligable and started walking again. He had enough troubles. The last thing he needed was to have Yuffie wandering around, and in his own house, no less! What else could go wrong?

Just then the rain started to come down harder.

"Hey, don't you have some kind of transportation?" Yuffie commented, almost running to keep up with Barrets rapid pace. "You're the Mayor, right? Don't you even get a car?"

Barret lowered his head to prevent the rain from getting in his eyes.

"I like to walk," was all he said.

"I do too," she replied. "But in this? Don't you think you're taking this walking thing a little too seriously?"

He glanced over at her, but did not slow down.

"What, are you going to melt?" he questioned. "I said you could stay at my place, I didn't say I was interested in conversation."

Yuffie returned his sour look.

"Sheesh, just asking," she said defensively. "And it's dissolve."

"What?'

"The rain," she replied. "It's water. It doesn't make things melt, heat makes things melt. Water makes things dissolve. It always pissed me off when Dorothy throws that bucket of water on the wicked witch and she runs around screaming that she's melting. She's not melting, she's dissolving."

Barret stared at her.

"Yuffie, what the _hell_ are you talking about!"

Yuffie shrugged.

"Oh, nothing."

Barret shook his head. This was one chick he would never be able to figure out.

They turned a corner. It was very dark now. With the sky obscured by clouds the light had long since vanished, even though it was early evening and the sun had set no more than a half hour ago. Ahead of them only the pools of light cast from the streetlights above provided any relief from the darkness.

Not surprisingly there were few people on the streets. Barret could see a couple walking rapidly down the opposite side of the street, both of them trying to squeeze beneath the comfort of one small umbrella. He could see a few others in the distance as well, far ahead of them. There was a narrow alley nearby on the right, and for a moment he thought he saw another figure. He only got a glimpse before the person disappeared from sight, but he thought he recognized the man.

Yuffie apparently had seen the same thing, for she suddenly stepped forward, pulling out her sherukin.

"Was that Rude I just saw?" she exclaimed.

Barret stopped again, looking at her oddly.

"I think it might have been," he replied slowly.

"What's he doing here?" she questioned sharply.

Barret did not reply at first, but stood there looking at Yuffie. She seemed extremely aggitated.

"How should I know?" he replied. "I'm not a tyrant you know. Anybody who wants to can come into Corel. We let you in, didn't we?"

Yuffie ignored the comment, still standing tensly with weapon in hand. He looked up again but saw no sign of anyone.

"Let's walk on the other side of the street," Yuffie said, starting to cross without waiting for a reply.

Barret followed her. Yuffie had always been strange, but he had to admit this was even more bizarre than usual for her.

"Yuffie, what are you up to?" he questioned as they reached the other side of the street.

"I don't know what you mean," she replied innocently.

Barret decided not to pursue it. He knew it would be useless. She obviously had some scheme in mind, but he knew there was no way he was going to drag it out of her until she was ready to tell him. He would just have to keep a constant eye on her. As if he didn't have enough to do already.

They walked though a pool of radience cast by one of the streetlamps above them. Yuffie still had her sherukin out, and kept glancing across the street where they had glimpsed the mysterious figure, but she saw no one. Barret looked around and saw that the streets were now deserted.

They were almost upon another intersection when a figure suddenly darted around the corner in front of them. Yuffie was walking along the edge of the street, with Barret on the inside. He caught a glimpse of long silver hair and realized the person was going to run right into him. Too late he tried to sidestep, and a moment later they collided. Barret swayed a moment from the impact, but the other person staggered back as if hitting a brick wall and fell to the ground in the road, landing with a loud splash in a puddle that had been building up by a storm drain.

Barret and Yuffie both looked down at the young girl in front of them. She was wearing a long dark colored dress of some thinly made material and wore no coat. She lay there for a moment in stunned surprise.

"Are you all right?" Barret questioned, just as surprised himself. What the hell was this girl doing running around in the rain on a night like this?

She looked around for a moment, shaking her head, as if confused. Then she struggled to her feet, backing away from them in obvious fear.

"No, get away from me," she cried. "Leave me alone!"

Her head darted from side to side as she backed away from them. Then she suddenly turned and ran across the road to the right.

Barret turned and looked at Yuffie.

"What the hell..." he muttered. The girl had looked to be no more than sixteen or seventeen. She was running around in this cold rain with only a thin dress on, and she was scared.

Barret took off, not looking to see if Yuffie was following, but a moment later he heard her footsteps splashing in the street behind him. Whoever this girl was, it was obvious that something was very wrong. He was going to find out what was going on.

He had a hard time keeping her in sight. Though he had started off after her almost immediately, she was a surprising distance in front of them. He could see her now only intermitantly, flitting in and out of the streetlights ahead. Then she suddenly vanished around a corner.

It took Barret and Yuffie just a few moments to reach the corner, but when they came around it they saw no sign of the girl.

"Damn," Barret exclaimed, looking around helplessly. "Where the hell did she go?"

Yuffie did not answer, but stood in the rain, turning back and forth, but the street was deserted. Then they both spun around together as they heard a muffled cry.

"There!" Barret exclaimed, pointing to a narrow alley between two buildings to their left. "C'mon."

He dashed over the the alley, Yuffie right behind him. There was a streetlight nearby, but it cast no light into the alley itelf, which loomed like a dark pit in front of them.

Barret was about to enter when Yuffie ran up in front of him.

"I'll go in first," she said quickly, then disappeared into the darkness before he could protest.

With a curse he followed her in. He found himself immediately plunged into darkness, but it was not quite as black as it had appeared. Once out of the glare of the streetlight he realized he had been wrong. A faint light from the street trickled in here. Enough to see two dark figures at the end of the alley hunched over something between them.

"Hey!" Yuffie shouted, running forward. The two figures paused for just a second, then dashed off in the opposite direction. Yuffie's sherikun flew, to clang against concrete as the two figures disappeared around a corner at the far end of the alley. She ran forward and stopped where the figures had been standing.

Barret ran up and could see the girl on her knees on the ground, her head in her hands. He stooped down beside her and looked at her. Even in the dark he could make out a dark bruise on her forehead.

He reached out his hand but she suddenly looked up and jerked back away from him, fear filling her face. She tried to scramble to her feet, but stumbled and fell back down to her knees.

"No," he said more sharply than he had meant to. "No," he said again, more softly this time. "We're not going to hurt you."

She looked at him, panic in her eyes, but then she brought her hand up to her head again. She swayed and then fell forward, and would have landed in the street again had not Barret intercepted her.

He cradled her in his arms and stood up, looking at her. Her silver hair was plastered to her unconcious face and hung in long strands down her back. Her dress was soaked.

"We've got to get her inside," Barret muttered.

Yuffie did not say anything, but nodded.

"My house isn't far away," he continued. "C'mon, and keep your eyes open."

Yuffie did not need to be told. They walked rapidly back down the alley and into the street again. Yuffie took the lead, keeping her eyes open for any sign of pursuit, but the streets were totally deserted. They made it to Barret's house without incident.

Yuffie pulled open the door and Barret carried the young girl inside. Marlene came running into the room.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, but then stopped when she saw the burden he was carrying.

"C'mon, let's take her upstairs," Barret said to Yuffie. He walked up the staircase, Yuffie and Marlene following, and turned into the first room at the top. He walked in and gently placed the girl down on a bed.

"You'll have to get her out of those clothes," Barret said to Yuffie. "In fact, we're all soaking wet. I'm afraid I don't have anything for you both to wear except maybe some robes."

"I've got clothes for myself in my backpack," Yuffie replied.

Barret cast one more glance at the girl.

"All right," he said. "I'm going to go change myself. Let me know if she wakes up."

Yuffie nodded and Barret turned toward Marlene.

"C'mon, honey," he said. "Get one of my robes for her from the closet in my room, then come downstairs. Your Dad's got a little story to tell you."

They both left the room. Yuffie walked over and started to strip off the girls wet clothing. It wasn't a difficult task, the girl was easy for even Yuffie to lift. A few minutes later Marlene came in and handed Yuffie one of Barret's robes, then headed downstairs. Yuffie slipped the robe on the girl who suddenly cried out softly. Yuffie stopped and looked at her, but her eyes remained closed. Yuffie pulled the blankets over her and stepped back.

"Much better," she muttered approvingly.

She opened up her backpack and pulled out some of her own clothes, then slipped out of her own wet things. She was just starting to put her dry clothes on when the girl moaned again.

Yuffie looked at her. The girls head turned to the side, and she moaned softly one more time. Then her eyes opened.

She looked around for a moment, obviously confused. Then the fear filled her eyes again. She sat up in the bed, staring at Yuffie.

"Who are you?" she blurted out.

"Friends," Yuffie replied. She said nothing more and they just looked at one another as Yuffie finished dressing. The girl had long silver hair that fell nearly to her waist. It was wet and matted now but Yuffie thought it would be quite attractive dried and combed. The girl was staring at her with large blue eyes. She was actually quite pretty.

"How did I get here?" the girl questioned.

"We carried you," Yuffie replied. "Who were those men?"

The girl finally seemed to be calming down.

"I don't know," she said slowly.

"You don't know?" Yuffie repeated. "Why were they following you?"

"I don't know," the girl said again.

Yuffie stood there in silence, looking the girl over. The answers she had given were far from satisfying, but she was proabably still scared and confused from all that had happened. Perhaps it would be better to just let her rest now.

"You're safe here," Yuffie stated. "You're in the house of Barret Wallace, the Mayor of Corel. Whoever was after you cannot get you here. Why don't you get some rest. We can talk about it tomorrow if you like."

The girl slowly eased herself down onto the bed again.

"Yes, I would like that," she said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Yuffie replied, walking to the door. "If you need anything give a holler."

"Okay, I will."

Yuffie stood in the entrance now. She looked back.

"By the way, my name is Yuffie."

The girl had her eyes closed again, as if suddenly exhausted. Yuffie turned to leave, thinking that she would not get a response. But just as the door was about to close she heard the girl reply softly.

"Amanda," she said. "My name is Amanda."

* * *

Tifa followed the others as they made their way into Cosmo Canyon, looking around slowly. She could see a large party working on reconstructing the gates at the front of the canyon that had been destroyed by Jenova's Disciples. Looking up ahead she could see the stairway leading up into the canyon proper, and beyond that, almost obscured by the rocky ledges that ran on either side, the domed roof of Bugenhagen's observatory.

They made their way up the steps, and found Red waiting for them at the top.

"Greetings, my friends," the flame red beast stated.

"Hi Red," Cloud replied. "It's good to see you again."

He looked around.

"Looks like you're well on your way to restoring the damage done to the canyon."

Red nodded.

"We have gotten a good start, but I'm afraid it will takes months to remove the scars left by Jenova and his minions," he stated seriously. " And some of them will never fully heal. Fortunately they left the libraries relatively intact. If they would have destroyed them, the loss would have been irreplaceable."

"That's good to hear," Ellengio stated. "And speaking of the library, we may have another book to add to your collection."

He quickly filled Red in on the events that had taken place on the southern island.

"Most intriguing," Red commented when he had finished. "I'm quite anxious to take a look at this find. Come, let's go up to the observatory where we can study this new tome in comfort."

Cloud cast Cid a knowing glance.

"I'm kind of thirsty," he commented. "I'm gonna go over to the Inn and grab something to drink."

"Yeah, I could go for that myself," Cid agreed. "All that running around in the jungle really builds up a man's thirst."

"I'll go with you too," Aeris said.

"And me," Tifa piped in.

Red looked at them.

"I can have refreshments brought up to the observatory," he suggested.

"Oh, no, don't trouble yourself," Cloud said quickly. "You two go on ahead. We'll be fine."

Red nodded slowly.

"Suit yourself."

He and Ellengio strode off, heading at a rapid pace for the observatory. Cid let out a sigh.

"Good thinking, Cloud," he stated. "The last thing I need is to be cooped up in that observatory for hours listening to those two brainiacs discuss the finer points of ancient languages."

"You got that right," Cloud agreed.

"You two are so mean," Aeris said.

Cid turned toward her.

"I notice you jumped pretty quickly at the chance to escape," he commented wryly.

Aeris gave him an innocent look but did not reply.

"C'mon," Tifa interjected. "I really am thirsty. Let's go get those drinks.'

They walked into the Inn, ordered drinks and sat down at a table. Cid pushed his chair back and stretched his legs out in front of him.

"So how long do you think those two are going to be up there?" he questioned.

Cloud shrugged.

"Years?" he suggested.

Cid grinned.

"Well, I got to be back at Rocket Town tomorrow morning. We're going to test fire the engines on the rocket, and that's something I can't miss."

Aeris looked up in interest.

"Does that mean it's almost done?" he said, a hint of surprise in her voice.

Cid nodded.

"Should be ready to launch in a couple of weeks," he stated. "I'm surprised myself considering how little time I've had to spend on it. But I've really got a great crew working on it. Those guys have done a bang up job for me. I'm actually very proud of them. Just don't tell them I said so."

"Does this mean you'll be shooting off into space again soon?" Tifa questioned.

Cid gave her a wink.

"It means we'll _all_ be shooting into space. You guys made such a good crew last time I went up, I wouldn't think of leaving you behind."

Cloud and Tifa looked at Cid doubtfully. After their last adventure into space, neither one of them was anxious to return.

"Well, I don't know about that," Cloud said dubiously.

"It sounds like a lot of fun," Aeris spoke up, much to the other's surprise.

"That's the spirit," Cid cut in. He looked at Cloud and Tifa. "What? Have you two become stick in the muds all of a sudden? Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I think we've already had enough adventure to last serveral lifetimes," Tifa observed.

Cid waved his hand in dismissal.

"You'll change you mind when the time comes," he said with certainty. "I know you both too well. You're not gonna want to miss out on this."

"Maybe," Cloud said slowly. Tifa said nothing, but Aeris noticed that she suddenly went very pale.

"Excuse me," Tifa said, getting up and walking away. Cid was going on about the details of the rocket, a subject he obviously relished. Cloud was sipping his drink. Neither one of them seemed to notice Tifa's departure.

Aeris got up without a word. Tifa was just disappearing up the stairs. Aeris followed and when she got to the top she saw Tifa stumble and lean against the wall to support herself.

"Tifa!"

Tifa spun around, a startled expression crossing her face. Immediately she stood up, though she swayed unsteadily.

"What's wrong?" Aeris questioned.

"Nothing," Tifa replied, a little too quickly. "I've just got a little headache."

She took a deep breath and stood up straight, trying to make it seem as if it were nothing. But Aeris saw right through her. She could tell her friend was in pain.

"Little headache?" she said doubtfully.

"Really, I'm fine," Tifa said, still trying to make light of it.

"I'm afraid that's not going to work with me," Aeris said firmly, coming over and taking hold of her. "Let's get you to a bed."

"That's exactly what I had in mind," Tifa replied.

Some of the rooms at the Inn were reserved by Red for dignitaries from other cities, and Red had told his friends in Avalanche they could use them whenever they came to Cosmo Canyon. Aeris helped Tifa into one of them and eased her down onto the bed.

"Thank you," Tifa said. She brought her hands up to her head and groaned, no longer trying to put up a brave front.

"Try to relax, I'll get you some aspirin," Aeris said kindly.

She left the room. Tifa lay down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, her head pounding so badly she could barely think. She had never had headaches like this before. Aeris returned a moment later, handing Tifa the aspirin and a glass of water. Tifa gulped down the aspirin thankfully.

"This isn't the first time, is it?" Aeris asked with sudden insight.

Tifa shook her head.

"How long?" Aeris asked.

"About a week," Tifa replied, not even questioning how Aeris had figured out it.

"And you've kept it from everyone all this time?"

"I didn't want Cloud to worry," Tifa replied.

Aeris sat down on the bed beside her.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?"

Tifa took a deep breath.

"I don't know," she said slowly. "If I thought it would help...I would have told him. But I don't think there's anything anyone can do."

Aeris gave her a sympathetic look.

"What makes you say that?"

Tifa closed her eyes for a moment as a wave of pain washed over her. She opened them again, and Aeris could see she was struggling to hold back tears. Aeris took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I hope this aspirin starts working soon," Tifa said with some difficulty. With a visible effort she took control of herself.

"It's the Mako," she said expressionlessly. "The Mako infusion. I'm sure of it. Cloud told me it had never been done to a woman. No one knows what kind of effect it's going to have. How can they treat something like that?"

"So what, you were going to just take it until your head exploded?" Aeris said with a smile, but the attempt at levity fell flat.

Tifa shook her head.

"I don't know what to do," she said softly.

"You shouldn't have kept this to yourself," Aeris scolded her. "Even if it can't be cured, and there's no saying it can't, I'm sure we can do something to make you feel better. I'll have to talk to Ellengio."

Tifa grabbed hold of Aeris arm.

"Don't tell Cloud," she said.

Aeris folded her arms acorss her chest.

"He really should know," she replied.

"Please," Tifa said pleadingly. "He's got enough things to worry about. He doesn't need one more thing, especially since there's nothing he can do about it."

Aeris did not reply, obviously hesitant to agree. She felt this was something that Cloud would want to know, something that he had a right to know. But she looked down in Tifa's eyes, and she knew she could not refuse.

"All right," she gave in. "I won't tell him. But you've got to promise me that you'll let me know anytime you get another headache. The last thing we need is for your head to explode. I'd miss a good friend, and it would be a real pain to clean up afterwards."

Tifa managed a feeble smile at that.

Aeris stood up.

"I'm going back down to the others. We've been gone a while, and it's possible they might have actually noticed by now. You get some rest, I'll make up some excuse for you."

Tifa nodded.

"Thank you." she said.

Aeris patted her hand one more time.

"Get some rest," she repeated and walked out of the room.

Aeris walked slowly back down the stairs, deeply troubled. Tifa's assessement of the situtation could very well be correct. If it was the Mako that was causing the headaches, and it was quite likely that was true, then maybe there was nothing they could do about it. And even more disturbing, what other, perhaps more serious troubles could the infusion cause. The headaches were bad enough, but what if it caused something worse, something perhaps even life threatening? They had done the Mako infusion to save her life, but could it be that they had just postponed things, that they had just given her a little more time and the infusion would eventually kill her just as surely as the explosion would have without it?

And Cloud had been the one to give the order for the Mako infusion. How would he feel if that order turned out to be a death sentence?

Perhaps Tifa was right to keep this from him.

Abruptly she shook her head, realizing she was overreacting. There was no evidence that what Tifa was suffering from was any more than what it seemed, just a bad headache. Perhaps she just needed an adjustment period and the headaches would fade. It could turn out to be nothing at all.

Even so, she felt a knot begining to form in the pit of her stomach.

She had reached the bottom of the stairs and started over toward Cloud and Cid, who still seemed to be engrossed in discussion.

The ringing of her PHS made her jump. She pulled it out.

Cloud and Cid both turned to look at her. She listened to the PHS for some minutes, then nodded her head and said something they couldn't hear. She hung up and walked over to them.

"We've got to get back to Infalnia," she said in a worried tone.

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked.

"That was Elmyra. Zack and Reeve have had some kind of fight."

"What?" Cloud said in surprise.

"Zack and Reeve got into an argument, and Cait attacked Zack," she said.

"Cait?" Cloud said, more confused than ever. "I thought Reeve wasn't using Cait anymore."

"Apparently Reeve programmed him to function independently," Aeris replied. "That's part of the problem, something must have gone wrong. Zack did something to Reeve and Cait attacked him."

"Did something, like what?" Cid questioned.

"I don't know!" Aeris replied, visibly upset. "But Cait attacked Zack, and Zack damaged him and ran off."

"Ran off?" Cloud said. "Ran off where? "

"No one knows," Aeris replied. "He dropped his sword and took off. No one has seen him since. He's disappeared. I've got to get back there. This whole thing has turned into such a mess!"


	5. Vernon's Story

CHAPTER V

VERNON'S STORY

It took them a little over a half hour to reach Kalm. The whole time Vernon kept up a string of chatter about absolutely nothing of significance, so much so that Elena found it difficult to get a word in edgewise, hard as that was to believe. Meanwhile Vincent maintained his usual grim silence, but she could tell by the look on his face that he was not pleased with the situation. She looked from one to the other, amazed at the contrast and the fact that they could be brothers. At first she didn't see a resemblance. Vernon's eyes were brown, and he looked much older than Vincent, with a few streaks of grey in his black hair. But she realized that was probably because of the time Vincent had spent in the coffin, and as they walked along and she looked back and forth between them she realized there were similarities. The shape of their face was the same, but even more than physical appearence was the look in their eye, the way they moved, and the presense she felt from both of them. From the way they acted toward one another, and especially the way Vincent was acting, she had a feeling she was going to hear a very interesting story, but when she brought up the subject Vincent had cut her off abruptly, saying they would discuss it later in Kalm. It was the only time he spoke the whole trip back.

Once in Kalm they stopped at Elmyra's house, but Cloud and Tifa were not there, so they walked over to the Inn.

Elena dumped the papers she was carrying on a shelf beside the television and sat down on the bed, happy to be relieved of her burden. Vernon dropped onto the bed beside her, resting on his elbows, his feet stretched out.

Vincent put his papers down at at desk near the window and deliberately started to sift through them.

"So how come I've never heard anything about you before?" Elena asked Vernon, barely able to conceal her excitement at the chance to finally learn something about Vincent from someone who might actually be interested in sustaining a conversation.

Vernon glanced over at Vincent, who was doing his best to ignore them.

"Not surprised he never mentioned me," he said. "My older brother never really approved of me. Seemed to think I didn't take life seriously enough."

He paused for a moment to wait for any comment from Vincent, but none was forthcoming.

"So when was the last time you two saw one another?" Elena questioend.

Vernon thought for a moment.

"Must be close to thirty years now," he mused.

"Twenty seven," Vincent replied.

Vernon cast him a glance.

"For someone who isn't paying any attention to us, you've got sharp ears."

Vincent did not reply.

"Twenty seven then," Vernon went on, still looking at Vincent. "Surprised you recognized me after all these years. What was I, seventeen then?"

Vincent remained silent.

"Long time to hold a grudge," Vernon said slowly.

Vincent looked up and gave Vernon such a whithering glance that Elena turned pale.

"What are you doing here, Vernon?" Vincent questioned.

"Just wanted to see how my big bro was doing," Vernon replied, apparently unaffected by Vincent's look. "Heard about your little stay in the graveyard hotel, and wanted to see if you were okay. You're a difficult person to track down."

"Not difficult enough, apparently," Vincent replied. "As you can see, I'm fine. So don't you think it's about time you left?"

"Talk about the bums rush," Vernon replied. "C'mon, aren't you even a wee bit curious as to how I've been all these years?"

"Not particularly," Vincent responded immediately.

Vernon gave him a look.

"Fine," he said, standing up suddenly. "I know when I'm not wanted. It's obvious the passage of time has not changed anything between us. I thought after all these years..."

He paused and looked at Vincent for a moment.

"Oh never mind. I guess it doesn't matter what I thought," he said finally and walked toward the door.

"Wait!" Elena exclaimed, getting up herself. She couldn't believe Vincent was just going to let his brother walk out.

"Let him go," Vincent said sharply.

"Vernon..." Elena began, but Vernon held up his hand.

"No, don't bother. My brother is right. I should never have come by. He's obviously perfectly happy with the way things are."

With that Vernon walked out the door. Elena stood there with her mouth open.Then she turned to Vincent. He had never been a charmer, but she couln't believe he would treat his own brother in such a manner.

"How could you do that?"

Vincent returned her look, his face expressionless. Then he lowered his gaze to the papers in front of him once more.

Elena stood there for a moment, until it was plain he was not going to reply. She felt rage suddenly welling up inside her.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" she shouted. "What could he have possibly done for you to treat him like that?"

Vincent did not look up from his papers.

Elena took a step toward him.

"Answer me, dammit!"

Vincent's head jerked up, a look of surprise momentarily appearing on his face, but just as quickly it disappeared. He hesitated for a second.

"You don't know anything about him," he said calmly.

"So tell me!" she spate out. "Why do you hate him so much? What happened between you two?"

Again he hesitated, looking at her carefully, his face totally unreadable, but he had an odd look in his fiery red eyes.

"I don't want to talk about it," he stated.

She stood there for a moment, the rage plain on her face.

"That's the problem," she said grimly. "You never want to talk about anything!"

Then she turned and followed Vernon out the door.

Vincent sat there looking at the door for a long time, a pained expression on his face. Then he slowly turned back to his work.

Elena walked rapidly down the hallway, almost in tears. After all this time, he still didn't trust her. She couldn't say how much it hurt to know that.

She walked down the stairs, not really paying attention to where she was going. Ahead of her she saw Vernon walking into the bar just off the lobby.

"Vernon," she called out.

He turned toward her, unhurridly. He waited for her to come up beside him and they walked into the bar together and Vernon ordered them drinks.

"My brother hasn't changed at all," he commmented as they sat down at a table.

"What was that all about?" the words tumbled out quickly. She felt if she didn't get some answers she would burst.

"Just Vincent being Vincent," Vernon replied.

Elena looked at him angrily.

"Must all you Valentines speak in riddles?"

Vernon sat back in his chair and chuckled at that.

"By no means," he replied. "My brother and I are nothing alike, as you may have guessed already. I have no qualms about telling you the story, though it is not a particularly pleasent one, and I don't think Vincent will be too thrilled if I do."

"I don't care," Elena replied. "I want to know what happened between you two."

"And you know you won't get it from him," Vernon replied.

Elena nodded.

"Very well," he stated. "I can hardly get in any worse trouble for telling the tale. Has my brother told you anything about us at all?"

"No," Elena replied. Vincent had never mentioned his family, or anyone from his past, for that matter. "He's never said anything. Talking to him is like trying to get information from a stone."

Vernon grinned.

"You know him well," he said, and then his face became serious.

"It all happened a long time ago," he started. He paused for a moment to swallow down half his drink. "I was only fourteen. Vincent four years older and Victoria seventeen."

"Victoria?" Elena questioned.

"Our sister," Vernon replied. "Yes, I know, our parents had a thing for V's."

"He never mentioned a sister either," Elena stated.

"He wouldn't have," Vernon replied. "They were very close, those two. Much closer to each other than to me, but they were closer in age too, being only a year apart. Like I said, it was long ago, but I'll never forget that day, much as I'd like to. Our parents were out for the evening. It was just the three of us at home. Vincent had just joined Shinra the day before and we had staged a rather impromptu party for him. Nothing fancy, no others guests, just the three of us and a lot of liquor."

"Being so young, I didn't get to do much drinking. Vincent and Victoria really shouldn't have either, but Vincent had always been a kind of crazy kid. A real rebel type, you know, and had gotten in trouble with our parents I don't know how many times, so this was really nothing new for him."

Another interesting fact she hadn't known, but Elena did not interrupt.

"After a while both Vincent and Victoria were pretty drunk, Vincent especially. I kept telling them to take it easy on the stuff but they ignored me. He kept going on and on about his job at Shinra. How he was finally going to make a name for himself. How he was going to join the Turks and become someone to be reckoned with. He even showed off the uniform he had been given, and his gun."

Elena took a sip from her own drink. Just from the way Vernon had spoken the last sentence gave her an uneasy feeling.

"I told him to put the gun away, but Victoria wanted to see it. She was almost as drunk as he was. He gave it to her and she started pointing it at things in the room, which made me real nervous, but Vincent said it was okay because it was unloaded. Eventually he asked for it back, but she wouldn't give it to him. He kept asking and she kept saying no until he finally got up and chased her around the room, both of them laughing hysterically. He caught her and tried to pull the gun away, and that's when it went off."

"Oh God," Elena said softly.

Vernon put his drink to his lips once more and downed the rest of it.

"Victoria died almost instantly," Vernon finished, placing his glass down on the table in front of him. "The bullet pierced her heart. Just and inch or two off and she might have lived. Just an inch..."

"Poor Vincent," Elena said. She had no idea. Of course, he had never spoken of it. She could see why he would not want to. The memories must be nearly unbearable. After all he had gone though with Lucrecia and Hojo, and now to find out about this on top of it. It was a wonder the man was still sane.

Elena finished her drink and sat there, looking down at the table in silence.

But even as she felt sympathy for him, she also felt he shouldn't have shut her out. He could have told her. She might even have been able to help. Would he ever learn that he didn't have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders alone? She would gladly help him shoulder the burden, if he would just let her.

Finally she looked up again at Vernon.

"What a horrible thing to happen," she said. "But that still doesn't explain why he dislikes you so much."

Vernon nodded slowly.

"I think it's because I remind him of her," he answered slowly. "Of the times we were together. And also because I was always such a screw up. He thought I was lazy, but can I help it if I was a typical teenager and not ruthlessly ambitious the way he was? He always said I'd never amount to anything. He was worse than our parents."

"After the accident, we didn't see much of him. He left home. He started at Shinra and put all that was left of his heart into that. He spent almost all his time there, and soon got the promotion to the Turks just like he'd wanted. I spoke to him a couple of times after that, telling him that it wasn't his fault, that nobody blamed him, but I could see he wasn't going for it. We lost touch soon after he became a Turk, and I haven't seen him since, although I always tried to find out what he was up to. But then he got involved in that Nibelheim thing and disappeared. I thought sure he was dead, but I never found out anything until recently. As soon as I heard he was alive I came looking for him, but like I said earlier, he ain't so easy to find. Now I think I was just wasting my time."

Elena reached out and took hold of his arm.

"No, you haven't wasted your time," she replied. "Even if Vincent doesn't welcome you, I'm glad you came. Even though the story was unpleasent, just like you said, I'm still glad you told me. I feel better knowing something about Vincent's past, no matter what it may be."

Vernon looked at her and smiled slowly.

"Glad to be of some help then," he replied. "And how did a beautiful lass like you get involved with my brother anyway?"

Elena blushed.

"It's a long story," she replied. "It would take hours to tell, and I think I better get back to Vincent soon. I feel sort of like I've betrayed him, running off to hear the story from you when he obviously didn't want me to know."

Vernon waved his hand at her.

"Nonsense," he replied. "My brother would be a fool to hold it against you. And whatever else he may be, he's no fool. Go on back to him."

Elena nodded and stood up.

"I'd like to tell you the story," she said. "And also hear more about Vincent and your family. I'll have a little talk with Vincent, and try ot put in a good word for you. Maybe I can get him to change his mind."

Vernon snorted.

"More likely to stop the sun from rising," he commmented.

"Perhaps," she replied. "But I will try nevertheless. In the meantime, you'll be around?"

He sat there for a moment in thought, then nodded slowly.

"I'll be here at the Inn," he replied. "For a few days at least."

Elena nodded slowly. Now that she had found this source of information she was reluctant to leave him. There was so much she wanted to know, but she needed to get back to Vincent.

"All right then," she said. "I'll talk to you later."

"I'll be here," Vernon agreed.

She walked away, glancing back once to see Vernon approaching the bar. Then he disappeared from view as she entered the lobby once more. She walked slowly back up the steps and back into their room. Vincent sat as she left him, still sifting through the papers. He looked up as she came in.

"Has my brother regaled you with his infinite wisdom?"

Elena slowly walked over and looked down at him.

"Vincent..." she began, but faltered. She felt oddly empty, all her emotions used up. What was there to say?

"He told me about your sister," she finally stated, looking into his eyes. They did not flicker.

"He told you lies."

She shook her head.

"Then tell me the truth," she challenged, though her voice held no emotion.

He put down the paper he had been reading and looked up at her. Slowly he got up and stepped over to her, his arms encircling her, all the time without taking his eyes off her.

"I told you I don't want to talk about it," he said evenly.

"But why not?" she pleaded. "Why not just this once..."

Before she could finish he leaned forward and kissed her.

She pulled her head back.

"Just once let me know what's..."

He kissed here again, pulling her to him. She felt his long black hair brush against her cheek. She pulled away again, more slowly.

"What's going on in that head of yours," she said softly.

He slid one hand up behind her back until it caressed her hair.

"I told you, I don't," kiss, "want to", kiss, "talk" kiss, "about it", longer kiss. With each one, she felt her resistance and her anger melting away. With each one she found herself pushing her lips against his with greater passion. She wanted to yell at him, chide him for so obviously trying to avoid the conversation, but the words died in her throat, swept away by the need to have him close, to feel his body, his lips against her own. No one had ever made her feel the way he did, no one had ever made her so totally lose control. It frightened her, and exhilerated her at the same time. Even as her hands slipped around his shoulders she could hear a small part of her brain still protesting, telling her not to be so weak, not to give in, but it was too little too late. With an inward sigh, she once again gave up all thought of logic in the hands of this maddeningly pig headed yet inescapably captivating man.

* * *

Aeris walked into the workshop and saw Reeve stooping beside Cait Sith, who was sitting on the floor beside him, one leg obviously damaged. Elmyra stood beside them. They all looked up as she came in.

"Reeve, what happened?"

Aeris walked quickly over to him, followed by Cloud, Cid, and Tifa. Reeve stood up slowly, looking drained.

"I messed up," Reeve confessed. "I programmed Cait to protect any member of Avalanche if someone attacked them. But it never occured to me that two members of Avalanche might get into a fight. With no programing to guide him, the results were unpredictable. I guess he deduced that Zack was the aggressor and went after him."

"You got into a fight with Zack?" Cloud exclaimed.

"Not exactly," Reeve replied. "It was more of an argument. Zack went to grab hold of me and Cait interpreted that as a danger. He overreacted. That's another thing I'll have to adjust."

Aeris just looked at him, plainly unhappy.

"And no one has seen Zack since?" she questioned.

"He was seen at the stables," Reeve replied. "We know he took a chocobo and left Ifalnia. But no one knows where he went, and he didn't tell anyone. After Cait attacked him he almost attacked me with his sword."

"What?" Aeris said, shocked.

Reeve shook his head.

"It's all right, he came to his senses quickly, but he was very upset. The way he ran off, I don't know what he'll do."

The others stood there in silence, none of them pleased with this news. Reeve pointed to the large weapon lying on the floor beside the doorway.

"He even left his sword behind."

"We've got to find him," Aeris stated, voice filled with concern.

"But where will we look?" Tifa questioned. "He could have gone anywhere. If he had a chocobo, he could be miles away by now."

Cloud nodded in agreement. If Zack had run off and didn't want to be found, then they were unlikely to find any trace of him. His training in SOLDIER and his time with Bennis had taught him how to avoid being tracked. He looked around and realized that everyone was looking at him.

"You were closest to him," Cid pointed out. "Any ideas where he might go?"

Cloud shook his head.

"We were very close once, but that was a long time ago. So much has changed since then, I doubt if I could guess. If he doesn't want to be found, even an expert wouldn't be able to track him down. But it could be we're all overreacting. He might just need some time by himself to cool down, and then he'll come back. It may turn out to be nothing."

"Can we take that chance?" Tifa asked.

"I don't see that we have much choice," Cloud replied. "Like I said, if he doesn't want us to find him, we won't."

"So what are we supposed to do, just wait around here until he shows up again?" Reeve stated, clearly unhappy with that idea.

"No," Aeris replied immediately. "I'm going to look for him, regardless of whether we can find him or not. I won't have him running around alone like this if there's anything I can do about it. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to."

"Of course we'll come with you," Tifa stated.

Cloud nodded. It couldn't hurt to look, though he thought it unlikely they would find anything. Still, it was probably better than just standing around waiting.

"Very well," he said. "But if we're going to look, at least let's try to organize it. We should split up into groups. We can search the surrounding area more efficiently that way."

"But where will we seach?" Tifa questioned. "He might have just run off into the woods somewhere."

"If he took a chocobo, it's not likely he's going to be anywhere nearby," Cid pointed out.

"I'm afraid you're right," Cloud replied. "Seems like he's planning on going far away. The only two towns anywhere near here are Bone Village and Icicle Inn. Maybe we better start there."

Aeris nodded agreement.

"All right," Cloud continued. "Aeris, you and Reeve head for Bone Village. Tifa and I will check out Icicle Inn. Cid, you take the Slipstream up and look around. If he's on one of the roads, maybe you can spot him from the air. Elmyra, you stay here to coordinate things, and to let us know if he comes back."

Cid headed back to his aircraft. All the others but Elmyra headed for the stables. Tifa found Aeris walking beside her. Aeris looked her over.

"Are you all right?" she asked, glancing at Cloud to make sure he couldn't hear. "I wish you would have stayed at Cosmo Canyon with Red and Ellengio."

"I'm fine," Tifa replied. "The headache is almost gone. Besides, what would you have told Cloud?"

Aeris shrugged.

"I would have come up with something," she said slowly.

"Don't worry about me right now," Tifa continued. "What about Zack? You don't think he'll do anything stupid, do you?"

"I don't know," Aeris replied. They had spent a lot of time together since they had found Zack again, but she couldn't say that she knew him well. There was just so much different about him. So much new to learn. She sighed. "It's all my fault."

"Oh stop it," Tifa admonished. "You can't control what other people do. Stop punishing yourself for every little thing that goes wrong in the world. We'll straighten it all out. Zack just needs a cool down a little. Cloud's right. We'll go out of our minds hunting all over the place for him and he'll probably show up back here tomorrow as if nothing happened."

Aeris did not look reassured.

"I hope so."

They reached the stables. One of the stablehands brought out four chocobos and they mounted up.

"All right," Cloud said. "Let's get going. Keep your eyes open, and stay in contact. If anybody finds any sign of him, let us all know immediately. There's only about four more hours of daylight left. That's barely enough time for us to get to Icicle Inn before it gets dark."

He looked around. No one had any questions, and they all appeared ready to go. He spurred his chocobo forward, and the others followed. A few minutes later they saw the Slipstream streak by overhead, disappearing quickly to the south. They rode swifly until they were clear of the ancient forest that surrounded Ifalnia, then Cloud and Tifa turned west. There were no roads between Ifalnia and Icicle Inn, at least not yet. Nevertheless they made good time at first over the open plain. But gradually the trees started to close in around them, and after about an hour of travel they found themselves in a trackless wilderness forested with tall pine trees and scrub brush. The country became broken and the ground uneven, and often a gully would appear in front of them filled with an impassably thick tangle of bushes. Their pace slowed to a walk.

To the north Tifa could see a long line of tall mountains peeking through the trees occasionally. Crossing over those peaks would greatly lessen their trip, but they were some of the tallest mountains on the planet, and no trail had been found that passed over them. Without mountain chocobo's they could not go that way. Aeris, Red and Reeve had traveled underneath, but the odds of finding their trail by chance in this wilderness was vanishingly small. They would just have to take the long way round.

Suddenly Cloud stopped his mount, his head coming up. He stood there for a moment looking this way and that.

Tifa came up beside him.

"What is it?" she questioned.

He hesitated for a moment, his eyes roving the forest around them.

"Not sure," he replied. "I think there's something out there."

Tifa looked around, but she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Cloud spurred his chocobo and they moved forward again, but both of them kept alert, their eyes on the forest around them.

The forest became thicker as they progressed, a clear trail more difficult to pick out. They continued to look around, and though they saw nothing, Tifa felt uneasy. A couple of times she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye, but each time she turned to look there waa nothing there.

Cloud suddenly held up his hand and they halted. For a moment after the chocobos stopped they could hear movement in the brush to their left. Then silence.

"Something is tracking us," Cloud stated, unsheathing his sword.

They rode on a little further, Tifa's nerves on edge. Out in the open the chocobos could outrun nearly anything they ran into, but here in the forest the birds were of little advantage.

They wound their way through the trees, going as fast as they could through the dense underbrush. Suddenly Cloud's chocobo halted once again, and Tifa nearly ran into the back of him.

"What?" she said.

Cloud tried to spur the chocobo forward, but it balked, warking nervously and trying to back up. Cloud looked up.

"There's something in front of us," he said.

Suddenly there was an explosion of motion in the bushes to their right. A large whitish grey wolf dashed out of the trees and lept at Tifa's chocobo. The bird screamed as the wolf's teeth clmaped down on it's thigh. Tifa, startled by the sudden attack, was nearly thrown from the saddle as the bird attempted desperately to wrench itself free. For a moment she thought sure that she was going to fall, but then Cloud's chocobo was right beside her. His sword came down, and with a howl, the wolf reluctantly let go of it's prey and dashed off into the woods again.

Cloud grabbed hold of the reins of her chocobo to steady it.

"Are you all right?" he exclaimed.

Tifa nodded. She looked down at her chocobo and saw the wound bleeding severly above it's leg.

"My chocobo's hurt," she stated.

Cloud gazed at the forest around them. He could hear movement all around them.

"There's more than one of them," he observed. "Looks like a pack of northern wolves. You usually don't see them this far south. We've got to get to open ground."

Tifa nodded, looking around. The forest looked the same in all directions to her.

"Which way?"

Cloud turned back and forth, examining the forest around them. Finally he pointed to the left.

"This way," he stated. "The ground slopes up a little in that direction. If we can get high enough, we may be able to spot some open ground. C'mon."

He started off, Tifa right behind him, her chocobo limping slightly. She looked down at the wound once again. It was pretty severe, and even if they reached open ground, might slow the bird. She wished she had brought some materia along, but they left so quickly, she hadn't even thought about it.

"Did you bring any materia?" she asked.

Cloud shook his head.

Another wolf (or perhaps the same one) dashed out of the bushes, lunging straight at Tifa's chocobo again. This time Tifa was ready. As the wolf bore down on them her foot shot out, catching it directily below the jaw, snapping it's head back. The wolf fell back, then scampered away. She turned in time to see Cloud fending off another wolf who she had not seen coming from the other side.

"They're pretty intelligent animals," Cloud stated. "They know your bird is wounded. They'll keep attacking it, trying to wear us down. We've got to find a place to defend ourselves."

Tifa nodded and they continued to push their way through the forest. For almost fifteen minutes they made their way slowly uphill, skirmishing every now and then with the wolves, who seemed to be getting bolder and bolder with each attack. Finally they neared the summit of a small hill and found themeselves beneath a large rocky outcropping. The trees were thinner here, and they could see their tormenters. There were at least seven wolves following them.

Cloud rode over to the wall of rock and dismounted.

"This is as good a place as any," he said as Tifa slipped off her chocobo. "We can see them coming and they won't be able to get behind us."

Cloud and Tifa stood side by side, the chocobos behind them, and waited for the wolves to attack.

The wolves circled around in front of them, with no apparent order and seemingly reluctant to attack the party now that they had attained a better defensive position. But eventually some came forward, closing in on them, snapping their jaws and feinting at them, but jumping back when either Cloud or Tifa went after them.

"They're trying to draw us away from the chocobos," Cloud stated.

Tifa nodded and they stood their ground. The feinting went on for some time, but then the wolves drew back once more, and then suddenly all dashed forward at once.

"Here they come!" Cloud exclaimed.

Tifa didn't need a warning. The first one reached her and her fist shot out, taking the wolf on the snout and snapping it's head back. With a yelp it fell back. But two others were right beside it. She kicked out, feeling her foot strike, but the blow was off balance and she knew she hadn't done any damage. At the same time she twistd to the side, tumbling out of the way as a set of jaws snapped where she had just stood.

She rolled to the side as another wolf lunged at her. She grabbed hold of it and pulled it down beside her, arms locked around it's neck as it's jaw snapped inches from her face. She could feel it's hot breath, the smell almost gagging her. She rolled over it, pinning it to the ground beneath her as she kicked out at another one. Then she twisted round, raising herself up and driving her elbow down on the back of it's neck. The wolf fell to the ground.

She lept to her feet, looking around to see that the other wolves were retreating once again. Cloud stood not far away, two dead wolves at his feet and a fire burning in his eyes. He started forward, lunging after another wolf that was slow to retreat.

"Cloud!" she called out.

He stopped and looked at her, then nodded and walked back to his position in front of the chocobos.

The wolves had not reteated very far, and now had once more returned to their vigil of circling around them.

"Well, at least we're wearing them down," Tifa commented, looking at the three dead wolves in front of them.

"Funny you should mention that," Cloud said. She saw him pointing to the forest once more. She turned to look and saw five more wolves loping up the slope to join in the hunt.

Tifa felt her heart sink. She had thought they were narrowing the odds, but now instead of four wolves there were nine. With no materia, who long could they continue to defend themeselves?

"What do we do now?" she questioned.

Before Cloud could reply the wolves, emboldened by their reinforcements, charged at them again.

A wolf leaped through the air, directly at Tifa. She stepped to the side and the beast went right past her. She turned and kicked, striking it in the rear and sending it forward to crash into the wall of rock behind them. She spun around immediately, and grabbed another wolf by the neck just as it's jaws were about to snap down on her. She kicked it in the stomach, then lept to the side as two more came at her. She struck out, almost blindly, but they were all around her now, and she was likely to hit one no matter which direction she swung in. She cried out as she felt jaws lock onto her left arm. She twisted round, striking the wolf with an open palm in the center of it's forehead. It fell to the ground just as another lunged at her.

She put up her arm to block the beast, but it suddenly howled in pain and collapsed to the ground, Cloud's sword having slashed though it's underbelly. He had heard her cry out and come to her assistance. He swung his sword in a wide arc and cleared the area around them momentarily.

They looked back. Cloud had had to abandon his position in front of the chocobos to come to Tifa's aid, and with that the wolves had gotten through. Two of them now hung on the wounded chocobo, and with a screaming cry, it fell to the ground. The other wolves immediatley dashed forward to help finish the bird off.

Tifa started for the downed bird, but Cloud grabbed hold of her arm.

"C'mon," he shouted.

He ran over to the remaining chocobo and hastily mounted, pulling Tifa up behind him. They were unimpeded. The wolves were all concentrating on tearing apart the bird that had fallen. Cloud spurred the chocobo, and they fled into the woods.

They rode straight west, as fast as they could go, but the forest was still thick around them, and the going was slow. Tifa kept looking back, but there was no sign of pursuit. Nevertheless, that didn't make her feel much better.

"I wish we could go faster," she said after a while.

Cloud shrugged.

"It doesn't matter now," he said calmly. "They won't follow us. The chocobo they got will feed them for quite some time. They've got no more reason to come after us."

Tifa fell silent, her arms wrapped around his waist. She felt bad for the bird, but there was nothing they could do about it. And the fact that the wolves had taken it had probabaly saved their lives.

Cloud glanced back and saw blood running down Tifa's arm. He halted the chocobo.

"I really should take a look at that," he said.

"No," she said immediately. "I don't care if they're following us or not, let's get a little further away first. It's okay, I'm fine."

He looked at her for a moment, then nodded. They rode on for perhaps half an hour, when suddenly, as if walking through a door, the forest fell away and they saw the sun sinking down just above a broad plain that ran for miles in front of them.

Cloud stopped and they both dismounted. Tifa's wound was a ragged tear, worse than she had let on but nothing life threatening. He cleaned out the wound, knowing that wounds from the teeth of northern wolves were notorious for becoming infected. Then he wrapped a bandage around it.

"That'll hold you until we can find some restore materia," he stated.

She moved her arm experimentaly. It was fine until she tried to lift it above her shoulder. Just have to avoid doing that.

"Thank you Doctor Strife," she said with a smile.

"You're welcome," he replied. He looked to the west, shading his eyes from the glare of the sun, which now stood just above the horizen.

"We better get going," he observed. "We lost a lot of time in our little encounter. We're not likely to get to Icicle Inn before nightfall now. Looks like we'll have to postpone our search until tomorrow."

He remounted and helped Tifa up behind him. Now that he had mentioned it, she realized just how tired she was. He was right. No matter how worried they were about Zack, she wanted nothing more at this point than to flop down in a nice warm bed and get some serious rest. It had been a busy day.

As they rode on into the rapidly fading light, she couldn't belp but shake her head.

Every day seemed to be a busy one lately.


	6. Amanda's Story

CHAPTER VI

AMANDA'S STORY

"Mornin'"

Barret looked up from the stove as Yuffie walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table beside Marlene.

"Morning, Yuffie," Marlene said pleasently, looking up from the bowl of cereal in front of her.

"Hey squirt," Yuffie replied. She looked over at what Barret was cooking with a great deal of interest.

"Are you making scrambled eggs?" she asked, a hopeful look on her face.

"Actually they're sunny side up," Barret replied. "Though I suppose if you asked nicely I'd be able to manage some scrambled ones."

"Barret, could you pleeeese make me some scrambled eggs?" she asked, batting her eyes at him.

"All right, don't over do it," he muttered. He opened the fridge and pulled out more eggs.

"Amanda still asleep?" he asked as he cracked the eggs into a bowl.

"I peeked in before I went in the shower, and she was still sleeping soundly," Yuffie replied. She had told Barret about their conversation before she had turned in last night.

Barret nodded and slipped the eggs into the frying pan.

Yuffie sat back in her chair and looked him over.

"The picture of domestic bliss," she observed. "This is a side of you I've never seen before. Where's your apron?"

Barret looked at her darkly and pointed the spatchler at her.

"A fine way to treat someone who invited you into his house and is now laboring over a hot stove while you sit by and watch idly. Unless you want to come up here and make your own eggs, I suggest you change your tune."

"You're absolutely right, oh domesticated one," Yuffie replied with a curt bow. "But I'm afaid cooking has never been one of my specialties. I think we'd all be better off if I stayed far away from the stove, unless, of course, you're anxious for the company of firemen."

Barret just grumbled under his breath. Marlene looked up at Yuffie with a grin on her face.

"You're funny, Aunt Yuffie. How long are you going to be staying?"

"Not long at all," Barret answered quickly. He looked over at the clock.

"You better get a move on," he said to Marlene. "The bus will be here in a few minutes."

"I know," Marlene said, sounding annoyed at being reminded of something she was well aware of. She spooned the last bit of cereal into her mouth, then stood up.

"Have you got everything?" Barret asked.

"Of course, " she replied, hitching her backpack up on her shoulder. Barret came over, stooped down, and gave her a hug. He glanced over at Yuffie.

He leaned forward by Marlene's ear.

"Have you hidden all your valuables?" he questioned softly, but not so softly that Yuffie couldn't overhear.

"Oh Daddy," Marlene said, pushing him away with a smile.

"Have a good day at school," he said, standing up.

"I will," she replied, and hurried out the door.

"What have you been telling her?" Yuffie questioned.

"The truth, of course," Barret replied. He slipped the eggs deftly onto a plate and brought them over to the table. He sat down and they both started eating.

Yuffie took a mouthfull and looked up at him in surprise.

"Hey, these are good," she exclaimed. "Have you been taking lessons from Tifa?"

Barret gave her a sour look.

"They're just eggs," he replied. "Even an idiot could make them. Why, I'd bet if you set your mind to it, even you could do it."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Yuffie replied. "But I've found it's much more fun talking someone else into doing it for me."

Barret looked at her darkly.

"That's it, from now on you make your own."

"I don't think you want me to burn down your kitchen," she reminded him.

He pointed up to the cabinets above the stove.

"There's cereal in the cupboard. I'm sure even you can't screw that up."

"Don't be too sure about that," she replied. "I can screw up anytbing if I set my mind to it."

"I'm sure you co..."

He stopped, looking over her shoulder. She turned and saw Amanda standing in the doorway, looking at them timidly. She still had Barret's enourmous rope wrapped around her.

"Hello," Yuffie said, standing up and turning to face her. She indicated another chair at the table. "Have a seat. Would you like something to eat?"

Amanda slowly walked over to the chair and sat down.

"Yes please."

Yuffie sat down again, her eyes still on Amanda, who was looking down at the table in front of her.

"How are you feeling?" Barret asked as he pushed a plate of eggs in front of her.

"Much better, thank you," she said. She glanced up at him for a moment, then lowered her eyes again and started to eat. She must have been very hungry for it only took her a minute or two to clean her plate.

"Would you like some more?" Barret asked.

"No thank you," she replied without looking up.

"Can you tell us what happened last night?" Yuffie asked.

Amanda hesitated for a moment. Finally she looked up at them.

"I...I was being held captive," she replied, her voice unsteady. "I escaped."

"Being held captive by who?" Barret asked.

She shook her head.

"I don't know. They never told me any of their names."

"How long did they have you?" Yuffie questioned.

Amanda turned toward her.

"For as long as I can remember," she replied.

Yuffie raised an eyebrow and gave Barret a glance.

"For as long as you can remember you were held captive?" she said with a hint of skepticism.

Amanda nodded.

"Yes," she replied. "I don't remember much. They did things to me. Things that made me forget"

"What sort of things?" Barret asked, a frown plain on his face. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he didn't like this one bit. The thought that some people were holding this young girl against her will in his town, for God knew how long, did not sit well with him.

"I don't know exactly," she replied uncertainly. "Experiments. There was one man. He always wore a white coat. He stuck needles in me, and it hurt a lot."

"And you don't remember anything from before your captivity?" Barret asked.

Amanda shook her head.

"Very little. I remember a forest. I must have lived in the country somewhere. And mountains and a lake. But I don't remember any people."

Barret sat there looking at her carefully. It was such an odd story, but the girl seemed sincere.

"You said you escaped," he commented. "How?"

"Most of the time they kept me locked in a room," she replied. "But they couldn't keep me in there all the time. They argued about it in front of me sometimes. There were a lot of people there, but most of them I only saw occasionally. But there were three who were always there. The man in the white coat, a tall man who always wore black, and a short older man. The man in black seemed to be in charge, and was always ordering everyone about. I didn't like him. He always wanted me kept locked in my room, but the man in the white coat insisted I needed to get out every once in awhile. He said I had to get some exercise and needed to interact with other people or it would interfere with his experiments. The man in black didn't seem to like it very much, but he permitted it."

"There was a large room where I could exercise, and also a lounge where I could watch television. Although they didn't let me go in there too often. The man in the white coat kind of held that out as a reward if I cooperated with his experiments. But they also let me go into the kitchen sometimes. They had a cook who I helped out once in a while. He was the only one there who didn't seem so bad, although even he never told me his name."

"Anyway, there was almost always someone with me. But on very rare occasions the cook would leave me alone in the kitchen. I guess they thought it was safe to do that since the only way out was through the lounge, and there was always someone in there. But I had noticed a laundry shute at the back of the kitchen. They didn't use it anymore, and I think no one really ever noticed it. Besides, I'm pretty sure they would have thought it too small for a human to fit in, but I was pretty sure I could squeeze through it. For a long time I just thought about it, not doing anything, because I was scared that I would get caught. But about a week ago I just decided that I had to try. But it wasn't unitl yesterday that they left me alone in the kitchen.I slid down the shute. It was a tight squeeze, and for a minute I thought I was going to get stuck. I almost paniked then, but I managed to get through. I came out in the basement, in some area that didn't seem to be used much. I wandered around for a little while until I saw a window up near the ceiling. I pushed some boxes over to it and climbed up. I couldn't get the window to open, so I had to break it. I think someone must have heard it, because when I slipped through it I heard some shouting from inside. All I wanted to do then was just get away from there, so I ran."

Barret leaned heavily on the table, the frown still on his face.

"And you have no idea who these men were, or what they were doing to you?"

Amanda shook her head slowly.

Yuffie leaned back in her chair.

"Can you take us to the place where they were keeping you?" she asked.

Amanda looked at them nervously.

"I guess so," she said slowly. "I ran for a long time in the rain. I don't know where I was going. But if we can find the street again, I'm pretty sure I can pick out the building. I...I'm not really anxious to go back there."

Barret gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, we won't let anything happen to you."

Amanda smiled feebly in return.

Barret glanced up at the clock.

"You don't have to take us there right now. Unfortunately, I've got to get to work. There's some business I have to take care of that really can't wait. I'll try to get out early and get back here around two. Then we can see if we can find out exactly what's going on here."

He got up and looked at Yuffie.

"Think you can handle putting the dishes away?"

Yuffie made a face

"I think I can manage," she replied.

"Okay, I've got to go," Barret said. He rested a hand on Amanda's shoulder. She looked up at him. "Don't worry. We'll straighten this all out."

Amanda nodded and Barret walked to the door. He cast one last glance at Yuffie.

"And you stay out of trouble!" he said sharply.

Yuffie gave him an innocent look and mouthed 'Moi?'

Barret left and Yuffie shoved the plates in the dishwasher. When she was done she looked at Amanda.

"Well, no sense sitting around here all day," she commented. "Think you're up to finding this place where they were keeping you?"

Amanda looked at her uncertainly.

"Don't you think we should wait for Mr. Wallace to come back?"

Yuffie waved her hand.

"He just worries too much," she replied. "I can take care of myself. I'm a trained ninja, you know."

"No I didn't," Amanda replied.

"Yup," Yuffie went on. "I was with Avalanche when they defeated Sephiroth, stopped Meteor, and saved the planet. In fact, if it hadn't been for me, they probably wouldn't have been able to defeat Sephiroth at all."

She looked at Amanda to see if she had made a suitable impression, but the girl was just looking at her curiously.

"Who's Sephiroth?" she asked.

"Man, you rally have been out of it. Never mind," Yuffie said, realizing that her impressive credentials were lost on the young girl. "The point is, I can handle anything that we may run into."

Amanda sat there in silence for a moment, then nodded.

"I suppose," she said, standing up.

"Good," Yuffie stepped back and looked Amanda over. Barret's robe could have wrapped around her small frame two or three times. "But you can't go running around town wearing that. I've got some extra clothes in my backpack. I think they'll fit. While we're out we can pick you up some of your own."

"I don't have any money," Amanda stated.

"Don't worry, I've got Barret's credit card," Yuffie replied.

"He gave you his credit card?" Amanda asked. From the way they were talking, it seemed as if Barret didn't trust Yuffie.

"Uhh, not exactly," Yuffie replied. "I lifted it from his wallet last night."

"You stole it?" Amanda said in surprise. "Don't you think he'll be a little annoyed when he finds out."

Yuffie shrugged.

"He'll get over it," she replied. "It's not like I'm not using it for a good reason. You've got to have clothes, right?"

"I suppose," Amanda said doubtfully.

"And I'm sure he won't mind if we get something to eat later. After all, we have to eat, right?"

Amanda did not reply.

"All right, let's get going."

They went back upstairs and Yuffie pulled some more clothes out of her backpack. Amanda put them on. Yuffie wasn't very large, but Amanda was smaller still. Even Yuffie's clothes were big on her.

Yuffie looked her over.

"That'll have to do for now," she said critically. "Not too bad. Oversized is the fashion these days anyway."

Amanda did not protest, and together they left Barret's house and walked out into the street. Yuffie led them back to where they had first met Amanda the night before. From there she let the other girl lead the way. Amanda led them a on a twisted trail through the city, obviously unsure of herself, and doubling back a number of times. But eventually they found themselves on a wide street near the railroad tracks, the road lined on either side with old warehouses with rusted metal roofs and peeling paint. This was one of the areas of Corel that still looked as run down as it had before Barret had become Mayor.

"I'm sure we're close," Amanda stated, looking around. "I know it was down here somewhere..."

They walked slowly down the streets. There were half a dozen men loading some crates onto a boxcar by the tracks, but they saw no one else about. The men took no notice of them as they stopped by a narrow alley.

"In here," Amanda said.

They walked into the alley. It was difficult to get through. The ground was covered with debris and garbage, leaving just a narrow path to walk through. A couple of times they had to climb over a pile of refuse that had spilled over and blocked the way.

Yuffie pinched her nose and looked at Amanda.

"Did it smell this bad last night?"

"Even worse," Amanda replied, "With the rain and all, but I didn't care."

They passed a huge overflowing dumpster and then Amanda stopped and pointed to the right.

"There it is," she said.

Yuffie came up beside her and looked down to see a broken basement window just above the ground surrounded by debris. Yuffie bent down and peered inside. She could make out plain concrete walls and floor, fading off into the darkness. The room appeared empty.

Yuffie stooped down and crawled through the window. She dropped silently to the ground and turned around, her sherukin in hand, but no one challenged her. She looked up out the window at Amanda peering in at her.

"C'mon," she said.

Amanda hestitated.

"I don't want to go back in there," she said fearfully.

"I told you you're safe with me," Yuffie dismissed it. "You've got nothing to worry about."

Slowly Amanda crouched down and slipped through the window. She dropped down beside Yuffie.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Amanda said.

"Stop worrying, I've got everything under control," Yuffie said confidently. She looked at the window once more.

"Didn't you say you piled some boxes up to get out the window?"

"Yes," Amanda replied. The room they were in was completely empty. "I guess they must have gotten rid of them."

"I guess," Yuffie commented. She dismissed it with a shrug and walked over to the single door in the room, which stood open leading out into a dark corridor. Yuffie stepped into it and looked around.

"Which way?"

Amanda pointed to the right.

"I came from that direction," she stated.

Yuffie walked down the hall. Amanda followed her slowly, obviously unhappy to be here. There were no lights on in the building, but the late morning sunlight shone bright enough through the small windows in the rooms they passed to give the hallway a dull illumination. Not enough to completely dispell the gloom, but more than light enough to navigate their way.

It didn't take them long to find the room at the bottom of the laundry shoot. This one had shelves along the wall and a long table in the center, with the connections for a washing machine and dryer along one wall, but the appliances themselves were long gone.

"This room looks the same," Amanda commented.

Yuffie nodded and took a look at the laundry shoot. It was very small, and she could see how Amanda's captors had not believed anyone could fit through it. If Amanda hadn't told her she'd squeezed through it, she wouldn't have thought it possible.

She walked back out into the hallway. There had to be stairs somewhere. Amanda stayed right behind her.

They found a stairway a short time later, near the end of the hallway. Yuffie silently made her way up, motioning for Amanda to follow slowly and to keep quiet. Amanda hesitated a moment, then followed. Yuffie was gratified to find that Amanda was walking almost as silently as she.

They reached the top of the stairs. There was a door there, ajar. Yuffie stood there for a few moments, listening for any sound of habitation, but all was silent. She looked out the doorway into another hallway.

"The lounge and the gym are right down there," Amanda whispered from behind her.

Yuffie nodded and headed down the hall, weapon ready. Still, her instincts told her that it would not be needed. The place appeared to be deserted.

They reached another door, this one closed. Yuffie put her ear to it and listened for a moment, then stood up. She pulled the door open slowly and glanced inside, then pulled back immediately. Then she opened the door wide and stepped into the room.

Amanda stepped in behind her and they found themselves in a large room completely devoid of furniture.

Amanda looked around for a moment.

"This used to be the lounge," she said softly.

"Looks like they flew the coop," Yuffie said, not bothering to lower her voice. "I guess they figured they'd be getting some unwelcome company, and decided to clear out first. I was afraid of this."

Amanda just stood there looking around the room.

"So what do we do now?" she questioned finally.

"Well, it couldn't hurt to look around," Yuffie replied. "It's possible they overlooked some small clue that might help us learn who they were. C'mon, let's check out the rest of the place."

For the next hour the two searched through the enitre warehouse, but they found nothing. All the rooms were empty. Whoever had cleaned the place out had done an excellent job. Not even a scrap of paper had been left behind.

"Well. looks like we're just wasting our time here," Yuffie remarked when they reached the last room. "I'm sure Barret will want to look the place over for himself, but he won't find anything either. Whoever these people were, looks like they've made a clean getaway."

Amamda nodded. looking around, but not seeming to be all that upset about it.

"I'm kind of glad we didn't run into them," she admitted.

Yuffie just shook her head.

"So what do we do now?" Amanda asked.

Yuffie looked at her thoughtfully.

"Well, doesn't look like we're going to find whoever it was that did this to you. So I think it's time we moved on to other things. I promised you some clothes. Let's get out of this dump and find ourselves a nice mall. It's time to go on a little shopping spree!"

Amanda nodded agreement and smiled a real smile for the first time. Yuffie quickly led them back out onto the street. They swiftly walked back the way they had come, and after a twenty minute stroll found themselves in the center of downtown Corel. It didn't take Yuffie long to find a small clothing boutique and soon she had helped Amanda pick out a dozen outfits, and had nearly as many for herself.

"Don't you think we're spending too much?" Amanda questioned as they stood on the line by the checkout counter.

Yuffie vehemently shook her head.

"Of course not," she replied. "Barret doesn't have to know how many we got, and I'm sure he doesn't know how much women's clothes cost these days. If he says anything I'll just say this was the minimum we could spend to get some decent clothes."

Amanda did not reply. The line moved ahead and the salesgirl, who looked nearly as young as Amanda, rang up their purchases. Yuffie handed her the credit card.

She looked it over for a moment.

"Which one of you is Barret Wallace?" she asked.

"Neither one, silly," Yuffie replied. "He's my dad. It's my eighteenth birthday and he said I could use the card to buy some clothes. It's the first time I've gotten to use one."

The salesgirl looked at her for a moment, then smiled.

"Okay," she said cheerfully. She finished ringing up the purchase and handed them the card back. The two girls picked up their packages and quickly left the shop.

"His daughter?" Amanda said as they walked away.

"Hey, whatever works," Yuffie replied smoothly. "Now let's go get some food!"

Amanda just shook her head and followed as Yuffie led her across the street to a large resturant and bar. The menu was posted by the front door and Yuffie looked it over.

"This place looks good," she said with satisfaction.

"I don't know," Amanda said hesitatly, looking over the menu. "It's awfully expensive. Don't you think we could find a cheaper place?"

"Nonsense," Yuffie replied. "You got to learn how to live, girl. Barret's not gonna mind. I'm sure he goes to places like this all the time. To him, this is just a tax writeoff."

Yuffie walked into the resturant, Amanda shaking her head and following more slowly. The maitre di greeted them at the door and soon they were seated.

"This place is gorgeous," Amanda commented. looking around at the mahogeny paneled walls and crystal chandiliers above them.

"Uh huh," Yuffie replied, not appearing very impressed. "It's not bad, but I've seen some places much nicer. There are half a dozen resturants in Wutai that would put this place to sha..."

Suddenly she stopped, staring off toward the bar, her face draining of color.

"What's wrong?" Amanda asked. She looked around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Yuffie slowly gave a quick shake of her head and stood up.

"Worse than that," she replied. "I'll be back in a minute."

She walked over to the bar behind two men in dark blue suits. One was tall and bald and the other had unkept dark red hair.

"Reno, what are you doing here?" Yuffie exclaimed.

The two Turks turned to look at her, neither one seeming to be surprised to see her. Reno held up his glass.

"Hey pest. What one normally does in a bar," he replied. "We're partaking of alcoholic beverages."

"You know what I mean," she said sharply. "What are you doing in Corel?"

Reno leaned back against the counter and gave her a sardonic smile.

"It's as good a place to be as any," he replied. "If you must know, we're here on business. Turk business."

"What sort of business?" Yuffie demanded.

Reno's smile widened.

"I'm afraid Turk business is none of your business. And too bad for you Elena is not here to blab all about it."

Reno looked past Yuffie to see Amanda staring at them curiously.

"Hey, who's your friend?" he asked. "Perhaps the two of you would like to join us for a drink?"

"Leave her out of this," Yuffie retorted. "I don't want you around here Reno. I think you should leave. The both of you."

Reno looked at her for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Oh you do, do you? And since when do you go around telling the Turks what to do?"

He stopped laughing and looked at her, his smile fading.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, Yuffie. To tell you the truth, I think it would be best if you were the one to leave. Go back to Wutai where you belong. You're just going to get yourself in trouble here, or worse..."

Yuffie looked at him indignently.

"I know how to take care of myself," she stated.

"As you've proven oh so many times in the past," he replied.

"Reno..." she spat out, then stopped. She knew further conversation was pointless. She wasn't sure what he was up to, but she didn't like this one bit. But no matter how she felt about it, she realized there was no way she could force Reno to leave. She pushed back the anger that was welling up in her and forced herself to be calm.

"I'll be watching you," she said, then turned away and walked back to Amanda.

The other girl looked at her curiously as she sat down again. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," she replied. "Actually, it's a long story, and I'd rather not go into it right now. It has nothing to do with you."

Amanda nodded and fell silent. Their meal arrived, but Yuffie had lost much of her appetite, and only picked at her food. Amanda kept glancing over at the two Turks, who seemed to be watching them.

"Who are they?" Amanda asked.

Yuffie sighed. She had to give Amanda some sort of explanation.

"Trouble," she replied. "That's Reno and Rude of the Turks."

"That's Reno?" Amanda said.

"You know him?"

Amanda shook her head quickly.

"No, I...I just heard the name somewhere before."

"While you were captive?" Yuffie questioned.

Amanda hesitated.

"I'm not sure," she said finally. "It was probably nothing."

Yuffie seemed to accept this and fell silent again. She looked at Amanda and saw that she too was just playing with her food.

"You ready to blow this joint?" Yuffie asked, pushing her plate away. "Suddenly the food seems to have lost it's flavor."

Amanda nodded. Yuffie called for the check. A short time later the waiter came over with it and Yuffie handed him the credit card. She glanced over and saw Reno looking at her again. He turned to Rude and said something and they both laughed. Yuffie looked for the waiter. Suddenly she couldn't wait to get out of here.

Instead of the waiter she saw the maitre di walking over. He stopped in front of them and held up the credit card.

"This card is owned by Barret Wallace," the man said sternly.

"Yeah, he's my father," Yuffie repeated the earlier lie. "It's my eighteenth birthday and he gave it to me to use. You know, as a present. He's such a great guy."

The maitre di looked at her skeptically.

"Indeed?" he replied. "So you're Marlene? My, you've grown quite a bit since you and your father were in here last week."

Yuffie sat there for a moment with her mouth open.

"No, no," she said suddenly. "I'm not Marlene. I'm his other daughter. My name's Amanda."

Amanda eyebrows shot up.

"He doesn't have another daughter," the maitre di replied.

"Yes," Yuffie cut in quickly. "I was away. I was sent to be educated in Wutai. It's been years since I've been here."

The maitre di stared at her for a moment.

"Nice try," he said finally. "Would you both step into my office, please."

Yuffie stood up and looked at him angrily.

"Are you accusing me of stealing that credit card?" she said huffily. "You've got some nerve treating me like some sort of common theif. When my father hears about this he'll have this place condemned!"

"Come along miss," the maitre di said, reaching down and grabbing her by the arm.

"Is there a problem here, Andre?"

The maitre di looked up to see Reno and Rude standing beside him.

"Oh, not at all sir," the maitre di replied. "Just a minor discrpency over payment of the bill. Nothing that need concern the Turks."

"I see," Reno replied, looking at Yuffie. "Well, as it happens these two people are old aquaintences of ours."

He reached into his pocket and took out a wad of gil.

"I'm sure this is all just a simple misunderstanding."

He glanced at the check the maitre di was holding, then peeled off a number of bills and handed them to the man.

"This should cover it, as well as a modest stipend for yourself for all your trouble."

The maitre di gave the gil Reno had handed him a quick once over.

"Very good," he said, a wide smile on his face. He turned to Yuffie.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding. It was a pleasure having you here with us."

"I'll bet," Yuffie replied darkly.

The maitre di walked away quickly. Yuffie turned and looked darkly at Reno.

"Don't expect me to thank you," she stated. "I was perfectly capable of exticating myself without any help from you."

"I'm sure you were," he replied with a smile.

Yuffie turned toward Amanda.

"Let's get out of here."

She started for the door. She looked back once when they reached it. Reno was still watching her. He waved casually.

"See ya around."

Yuffie turned away and stomped quickly out of the resturant.

* * *

The low rumble made Shera look up. At first it was just a hint of sound, more felt than heard. But it was sound she was attuned to, a sound she was as familar with as the wind tinkling through the chimes hanging by the front door, or the faint squeek of the rocking chair she was sitting in.

She shifted Sydney in her arms and looked out the window. The infant did not protest, having earlier fallen peacefully asleep framed in the sunlight streaming through the window Shera was now peering out.

The sky was bright above the trees, as blue as she had ever seen it. A few small cumulus clouds hung suspended like tufts of cotton candy. She stared at them, trying to catch their slow progress across the sky, but they did not seem to move at all. The window could just have well been a painting hanging from her wall, until the dark shape of an aircraft hove into view.

Shera looked down at the baby in her arms and smiled.

"Daddy's home."

She stood up. The baby moved restlessly in her arms, but did not wake up. By the time Shera walked outside the Slipstream was already on the ground.

Cid emerged from the plane as she approached, followed by Cloud, Tifa, Aeris and Reeve. The pilot walked up to her. He gave her a kiss, then looked down at Sydney. "How's my little copilot?"

"She's fine," Shera replied. "A little cranky this morning, but nothing serious. I think she just missed her daddy."

"Well, I'm back to stay, for a while at least," Cid replied. "Got to get that rocket fired up."

Shera nodded but did not reply. She wasn't happy to see Cid away but she knew he had good reasons. The rocket might keep him here now, but when it was done he'd be off to God only knew where. But, much as she would have liked him to stay home, she didn't begrudge him the opportunity. She had been up in space too, in the Shinra 26, and she had to admit there had been a certain fascination to it. If it weren't for the baby, she would probably want to go with him.

"Hi Shera," Aeris said as they girls gathered around her and the baby.

"Hi," Shera replied with a smile. "Have you all come to watch the test on the rocket?"

Cloud shook his head and explained what had happened in Ifalnia.

"How terrible," Shera commented with a look of concern.

"Tifa and I went to Icicle Inn while Aeris and Reeve looked for Zack in Bone Village," Cloud continued. "Neither of us found him, but one of the dockworkers at Bone Village saw someone fitting Zack's discription get on a boat bound for Costa del Sol. Since Cid was coming back to Rocket Town anyway, he gave us a lift back here."

"But we can't stay," Aeris stated. "We've got to go look for Zack."

Shera nodded as Cid opened the cargo hold and led out four chocobos.

"Are you leaving right away?" Shera questioned. "You're welcome to stay for breakfast."

"Thanks, but we already ate," Cloud replied. He glanced over at Aeris. "We're all anxious to get on the road. I'd like to find him as soon as possible."

"So you're going to go to Costa del Sol now?" Shera inquired.

Tifa shook her head.

"Cloud thinks there's no reason for him to stay there, and we all agree. He just went to Costa del Sol because that's where the boat landed. We think he's headed somewhere else."

"Where?" Shera asked.

Tifa looked at Cloud.

"Not really sure," Cloud replied slowly. "He may be just trying to get away, with no destination in mind. And if that's true we're probably just wasting our time. But it may be that he is headed somewhere specific, even if he doesn't realize it himself just yet."

"And where might that be?" Shera said.

"I think he might be going to Gongaga."

Shera nodded. Zack's hometown, although he didn't remember it. It would make sense for him to return there, hoping perhaps to find some clue from his past, something he could remember.

"Poor Zack," she said softly.

Cid had the chocobos ready, and Cloud mounted up, followed by the others. Cid stood beside Shera.

"Good luck," he said. "You know I'd come with ya, but this test is important, and I can't miss it."

"We understand," Aeris stated.

"Too bad you haven't had more lesson's flying the Slipstream," Cid continued, looking at Cloud. "You could take the plane and get there a lot quicker. But I don't think you're quite ready to solo yet."

"I'm afraid I agree," Cloud responded.

"Too bad Vincent isn't with us,' Tifa said.

Cid nodded.

"Well, you know how hard he is to get a hold of."

Cloud looked at the others. They were all mounted.

"All right, looks like we're ready to go."

"Let me know if you find him," Cid said.

"We will," Cloud replied. He spurred his chocobo forward. With a wave the other followed, and they soon disappeared down the road south through Rocket Town. Cid watched unitl they they were gone.

"I feel bad about not going with them," he admited.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Shera reassured him. Despite Cid's gruff exterior, he was always willing to help his friends.

Cid did not reply but turned to look to the north. They could both see the tip of the new rocket looming above the trees.

"It's time to get down to business," Cid said.

They both walked down the well trodden path from their house to the launching pad. As they approached Cid looked up to see the rocket now towering over their heads. Shera looked at Cid staring up at the rocket and couldn't help but smile. She knew how proud he was to see his life's dream in front of him.

There were dozens of workmen gathered around the rocket, working feverishly on final preperations for the test. Cid looked around for a moment, then walked up to one man standing in front of what appeared to be a table strewn with papers covered with scematics.

"How's it going, Landon?"

The man looked up and broke into a grin.

"Captain!" he exclaimed. "It's about time you showed up, if you don't mind my saying so. I was begining to think you might miss the test."

"Like there was any chance of that," Shera commented.

Cid gave her a crooked grin, them looked at Landon more seriously. "So, what's the situation?"

"No problems," Landon replied. "We're good to go anytime you give the word."

Cid nodded in satisfaction.

"Okay, let me take a look at things inside."

Cid walked toward the ship, disappeareing into a small structure at the base of the gantry. Shera stood next to Landon, looking over the papers in front of him.

"You made sure to double check the oxygen tanks?" she questioned.

"Yes," Landon replied. "I've gone over it a dozen times, and everything checks out okay."

Landon glanced at Shera with a bemused smile on his face. Cid was the driving force behind this rocket, but Shera had played a large part in it's construction as well. Almost every day Cid had been here Shera had been at his side, and often when he was away she was there by herself, meticulously going over the work that went into the ship, double checking everyone and having them redo anything that she felt didn't measure up to the standards they were expecting. It had slowed things down, of course, and Landon knew that it had driven Cid batty at times, but the Captain had bit his tongue and never objected. He had learned his lesson the first time, and had come to realize that some things just couldn't be rushed.

"We're almost ready for the test," Landon stated. "C'mon, let's go inside."

There was a large newly constructed bunker about two hundred meters from the launch platform. This was the command center, and was a beehive of activity as they entered.

Landon walked up to a platform in the center of the room and stood behind two men tapping away rapidly on computer keyboards. Shera stood beside Landon, trying to take in everything that was going on while still staying out of the way. On the wall in front of them was a huge television screen. The picture on it was split in two, the left side showing the rocket sitting on the launch pad, the right showing Cid, now seated in the cockpit of the rocket, dressed in a bright orange space suit and puffing away furiously on a cigarette.

Landon leaned forward and keyed a microphone in front of him.

"All set to go, Captain?" he asked.

Cid flicked some switches rapidly and stared at the results on the gauges in front of him. He gave a grunt of satisfaction, then looked up at the monitor with a grin.

"You bet yur ass I am," he stated. "Let's give this baby some gas."

Cid studied the gauges in front of him. Everything seemed to be working flawlessly. Even though this was only a test, and the rocket would not even be lifting off the ground, he still felt butterflies in his stomach. Just the feeling of sitting in this seat, knowing the kind of power he had below him, the power to send him up among the stars, gave him a giddy feeling. This is what made it all worthwhile.

"Thirty seconds, Captain," Landon announced.

Cid kept his mind focused on the readings from the instruments, looking for any little glitch or discrepancy that could mean a potential problem. So far he saw nothing out of the ordinary, but it would have been easy for even his sharp eye to miss something in the sea of instruments in front of him. Fortuantely nearly every monitor before him was duplicated in the command center, and each was even now being watched over seperately by expertly trained technicians. The truth of the matter was they would have been able to complete this test with no one in the bird at all, but Cid was not about to miss out on something like this. When it came to his rocket he was very possessive, and he wasn't shy about letting everyone else know it. There was going to be no mistake in anybodies mind that this was his baby.

He could hear Landon continuing the countdown over the intercom, but he wasn't paying much attention, focusing on the instruments. Suddenly a number of the graphs in front of him shot up. There was a low rumbling sound and the entire ship shook. Cid knew they had reached the final ten seconds and the engines had been ignited.

The rumbling built up rapidly below him. Cid felt himself sitting back into his seat even as his eyes scanned the panels in front of him even more meticulously. The rumble suddenly built up into a dull roar, the vibration increasing to an almost violent shaking as the gauges in front of him measuring engine power smoothly rose until they were near the upper limits.

"Engines at full power," he heard Landon's voice, almost drowned out by the roar below him.

"Hold for five minutes," Cid stated louder than necessary. He scanned the gauges a few moments more, then allowed himself to relax a bit. If anything was going to go wrong, the stress of bringing the engines to full power was when it was most likely to happen. Now that they were past that point, the danger was lessened somewhat.

He felt the vibration throughout his whole body, and again marveled at the power held in the engines below him. He could almost feel the rocket straining against the pull of the earth, like a young stallion chaffing at the bit, anxious to be off flying, to be set free. He looked at the instrments in front of him one more time. Just a few simple switches, a mere flick of his hand, and the final restraits would be tossed off, the final barriers set aside, and both he and the rocket could reach for that which he had longed for all his life.

"Zero plus five minutes," he heard Landon state, sounding very far away. Cid sat there for a moment in silence, then his hand came forward and he pulled back on a lever. Immediately the rumble below him started to die away.

Not yet my friend, he thought as the engines flickered out below him. Not yet... but soon.

Shera was the first one to greet him when he reemerged from the rocket. A crowd from the control room was right behind her, everyong wearing ear to ear grins.

"We did it," Landon nearly shouted from behind Shera. "It went perfectly!"

Cid nodded, a grin coverning his own face as well.

"How long until we can go for real?" he asked.

Landon hesitated a moment, doing some calculating in his head.

"We've got to refuel her and check the structural integrity. If everything went as well as it seems, minimum of two weeks."

Cid nodded, grabbed hold of Shera and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Congratulations," she said.

"Thanks, but you deserve this as much as I do," he replied. "I couldn't 'a done it without ya."

Shera just smiled. Cid let her go and turned to the others.

"Even though you're all a bunch of gold brickin' lazy bastards, you've done a fine job," he called out. "We've got a lot more work to do, but I think this occasion calls for a celebration. Drinks are on me down at the bar!"

All the workers cheered and followed Cid back to town. Shera came along slowly behind, the baby still in her arms. She paused for a moment to look up at the rocket that towered over her. She was happy for Cid but she couldn't help but wonder, and yes, worry, about what the future would bring. Though she wouldn't dream of stopping Cid from going up into space, she couldn't help but wonder what dangers lie in wait up there. Today had gone well, but it had only been a test. She knew it was only a matter of time before those engines roared to life again, only this time nothing would hold them back.

The baby stirred in her arms. Sydney opened her eyes and started to fuss. Shera lifted her up on her shoulder and patted her until she became quiet once more. Then she turned and slowly walked back toward the house.

"I hope your daddy knows what he's doing," she said softly.


	7. The Truth is Out There

CHAPTER VII

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE

If not for a fluke of geography, Cosmo Canyon would not be a desert. The prevailing winds blew from the east toward the continent, picking up moisture above the ocean. The moisture laden winds then traveled west over the continent until they ran into the mountain range that stood like a roadblock down the center of the landmass. To the north of Comso Canyon gaps in the mountains provided passage for the winds, allowing them to flow through and bring their renewing rains to Nibelheim. To the south the mountains quickly petered out. But east of Cosmo Canyon the mountains were an unbroken chain. There the winds were forced upward, into the upper atmosphere where the generally colder temperature squeezed the moisture out of them. Most of the moisture fell on Corel, which made it one of the wettest towns on the continent. By the time the winds reached Cosmo Canyon, they had little moisture left for the barren land below.

But even though the red clay mountains of Cosmo Canyon were inhospitable, that didn't mean that life didn't flourish there. Insects and small reptiles abounded, feeding on each other or the tough grasses that grew in the shade of the valley floors, protected from the sun by the steep canyon walls. Larger creatures could be found here on occasion as well, though not in abundance. The largest indigent animal was the mountain deer, a small brown and white beast resembling an antelope. It was atonishingly nimble, and generally could be found high up on the cliff faces, appearing in numbers in areas that looked totally unreachable. But now a small herd stood at the bottem a deep ravine, feeding on the grass that did not grow up on the steep slopes above. There were perhaps a dozen of them, scattered across the floor of the ravine, but not too far apart. Most were adults, but there were a few adolescents and four very young ones, who were positioned in the center of the group. All but the youngest ate nervously, looking up every few moments at the red cliffs around them. They were uncomfortable down in the ravine, and vunerable to predators.

Nipala crouched about thirty yards away, her yellow eyes fixed on the herd. The reddish hues of her fur blended perfectly with the rock around her. Except for the slight twitching of her tail, she hadn't moved a muscle in ten minutes.

It had taken her almost a half hour to get this close. The herd was wary, especially some of the older adults, but they would have to be to have lived this long in the first place. There was almost always one looking around while the others ate. She could only move when that one turned away.

She surveyed the herd with with a sharp predators eye. She already had her target picked out. An older one near the edge of the heard. Ordinarily she wouldn't go for one so seasoned, but she had detected a slight limp in one of it's rear legs, hardly noticable, but enough to catch her attention. Probably the result of some slip up on the cliffs above. Nothing too serious, but enough to slow the creature down a step, and for a prey species that step could cost it it's life.

The deer in question had been slowly moving closer to her, and she remained still, hoping the trend would continue. She kept measuring the distance. It was almost close enough now, just a few more feet. Almost imperceptively she lowered her body down in anticipation of the spring.

The grass did not blanket the ravine floor, but grew in isolated tufts where there was the most shelter from the sun. The deer Nipala was watching finished off the grass where it was standing and looked around for more. It looked in her direction. She immediately froze. The deer stood there for a moment unmoving, then turned away, and she could see that it had decided the grass in the other direction was more plentiful.

In a blur of motion Nipala lept forward. The distance was still a little long, but she hoped the fact that the deer had turned away from her would make up for that. For a split second the herd seemed undisturbed, then a adult of the far side of the herd noticed her. Immediately it started a short barking call, almost like a cough, that signaled danger to the rest of the the animals.

Immediately the herd bolted, scattering in all directions, most leaping directly up the hill to the safety of the steep cliffs above. But Nipala paid no attention, her eyes totally focused on her target. The deer had cast one fearful glance behind it at the warning and dashed away, heading toward the almost vertical hillside on the other side of the ravine, Nipala right behind it. Ordinarily they were almost evenly matched in speed, and even with the advantage of surprise she would not have been able to reach it before it escaped up the cliff face. But Nipala had chosen well, the deers bad leg slowed it down just enough. The distance closed, and just as it was about to leap upward she lunged forward, one paw sweeping out and knocking it's back legs out from under it. With a bark of alarm, the deer fell to the ground.

The deer lunged to it's feet, and Nipala wondered if it understood that the fall would ordinarily be fatal, and if it was even now, as it scrambled madly to escape, anticipating the feel of Nipala's fangs on it's neck.

But that didn't happen. The deer lept up onto the rock, scrambling quickly to safety, as Nipala sat back on her haunches, looking at it, a smile of satisfaction on her face.

"Gotcha," she muttered.

Nipala watched the deer for a few minutes as the herd slowly reorganized itself on the slopes above her. They still eyed her warily, even though she could not possibly reach them anymore.

For as long as she could remember, she had been a hunter. And, although the people of Cosmo Canyon now provided all that she needed, the urge was still strong. She no longer needed to hunt to eat, but now only to hone her skills and for the sheer pleasure.

Suddenly her ears perked up as she heard faint sounds coming from deeper in the ravine. She sat there for a moment, listening intently, until she was sure something was approaching. Then she slipped back into the shadows of the hillside, thinking perhaps her hunting fun was not over yet.

She placed herself just up the slope on one side of the ravine amid a jumble of rocks and red clay dust. Thus positioned she had a clear view of anything coming up the ravine while remaining almost invisible herself.

She waited patiently as the sounds came nearer. As they approached they became more distinguishable and she identified them as the sounds of chocobos. A moment later four of the birds appeared trotting rapidly toward Cosmo Canyon. She recognized the riders immediately.

She stood up, emerging from the rocks. The lead chocobo gave a startled wark as the red beast appeared in front of it as if out of nowhere. It shied back until the rider steadied it with a sure hand.

"Hello Nipala," Cloud said, a little surprised himself at her sudden appearance. "Where'd you come from?"

"Right over there," she said with a nod of her head. "Welcome back to Cosmo Canyon."

"Thanks," he replied. "It's good to be here."

"How are things with Red and Ellengio? Have they deciphered that book yet?" Tifa asked.

Nipala shook her head.

"Don't remind me," she replied. "They've been poring over that thing almost non stop for the last two days. But they haven't figured it out yet. Neither one will admit it, but I think they're getting a little frustrated."

"Hmm, you mean the geniuses have found something they can't figure out?" Cloud commented.

"Oh stop," Aeris said from behind him. "I'm sure they're trying very hard. Let's go talk to them. I'll bet they could use a break."

"They probably haven't even noticed we left," Cloud muttered. Aeris gave him a look as her chocobo cantered past.

They rode up the steps and into the town, Aeris and Nipala leading the way. They dismounted in front of the stables and led the chocobos in. A few minutes later they found themselves in Bugenhagen's observatory. Red and Ellengio were in the same room they had been in when Cloud and his compainions had left. They were sitting on the floor, with the large book open in front of them. Red stood up as they walked in.

"So what happened with Zack?" he asked.

Cloud explained what had occured in Ifalna and the fact that they suspected Zack might be headed toward Gongaga. Red nodded when he had finished.

"Seems like a logical conclusion," he observed. "Are you going to be staying here at all, or must you be on your way immediately?"

Cloud looked at the others. They were all weary from hours on the road.

"This is as good a place as any, and better than most, to rest up for a while. But not for long. I'd like to get to Gongaga before nightfall."

"Then I fear you won't have much time," Red said, glancing out the window at the afternoon sun.

"I hear you haven't made much progress with the book," Cloud stated.

"I'm afraid not," Ellengio said, sounding disappointed. "It's a difficult task, and might take years, if it can be translated at all. All languages on the planet are interrelated to a greater or lesser extent, having some words that are similar. But this one is compeletly alien. We have no base to compare it to. I'm afraid it may be impossible to translate."

"But we haven't given up yet," Red stated. He looked over at Ellengio "We think it might be time to let someone else take a look at it."

"You mean one of the elders?" Reeve asked.

"No," Red replied. "We've already had Illyanova and the most learned elders look at it, and they could not help. No, I was thinking of someone else. A linguistic expert that I've heard of has developed a computer program to help translate languages. In fact, I was just discussing this with Ellengio."

Ellengio nodded.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," he said. "We've done everything we can here."

"So who's this expert?" Cloud asked.

"Her name is Lai li," Red replied. "She resides in Wutai. Apparently she's some kind of language prodigy. She could speak five different tongues by the time she was ten. When she was sixteen she helped Dr. Langston translate the ancient Da Chao tablets."

Ellengio nodded slowly, obviously of an opinion that this was quite an impressive feat. Cloud and the others just looked at Red blankly.

"I'm sure they're not interested in all that," Nipala cut in. "You've been working on this all morning, and Cloud and the others have been on the road. What say we all take a break and have something to eat?"

"That sounds great," Cloud quickly agreed.

They left the observatory and retired to Red's private quarters. He had a meal brought in for them and they quickly dispatched it. All except Aeris, who only picked at her food.

Reeve, who was sitting on her left, looked at the others. Red and Ellengio were still dicussing what they might be able to find out from the book, while Cloud, Tifa and Nipala seemed to be concentrating on eating.

Reeve turned toward Aeris and said in a low voice.

"I'm sure he'll be fine."

Aeris, who had been looking down at her plate, turned toward him.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I have been a bit gloomy, haven't I? It's just that..."

She paused, her head shaking just ever so slightly, then she looked away from him.

"What?" he prodded gently. What had happened to Zack had affected them all, but obviously was bothering Aeris a great deal more than anyone else. He told himself it was because Aeris was concerned about everyone, but he couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it than that. He realized it was stupid to be jealous, and silently berated himself for feeling that way, but it was there, just the same.

"Nothing," Aeris said slowly. There was no point in trying to explain it. She had been through this once with him already. She didn't want to see her friends hurt, and she couldn't help but feel it was her fault. She knew that was silly, and that Tifa was right, she couldn't hold hereslf responsible for other peoples actions. But she couldn't help it. The fact of the matter was, if they hadn't been fighting, over her, then none of this would be happening. She didn't know what Zack had in mind, if he indeed had anything in mind at all, but she did know this, if something happened to him, she would never be able to forgive herself.

Slowly her gaze returned to Reeve. He was watching her, concern etched on his face. She sat there looking at him thoughtfully. He loved looking into her eyes, always so open and innocent, but at the same time the very openess of her look made him uncomfortable. It was almost as if she was lettting people look right into her naked soul, baring it for all to see, leaving nothing bidden, nothing concealed. But there was a risk to it, this openess. It was the source of her greatest strength yet left her vunerable at the same time. He was imtimated by that, for it was not normal. It was not something a _human_ could do. He lowered his eyes.

"Promise me something," she said.

He looked up at here again.

"Whatever you wish," he said immediately.

"Promise me that when we find Zack," she paused for a moment, and now she seemed to be staring off into space absently. "That there won't be any more fighting between you two."

Reeve hesitated for a moment. He wanted to tell her that he had never had any intention of fighting about her in the first place. He wanted to tell her that he had just been minding his own business. He wanted to tell her that _he_ hadn't been the one that had started the argument, and that _he_ hadn't been the one that had threatened anyone. But he had a feeling that none of that would make her feel any better, so all he said was;

"Of course."

Cloud stood up and Aeris saw that the others had finished their meals.

"Well, we better get going," Cloud stated. "Like I said, we'd like to get to Gongaga before nightfall."

"Very well," Red agreed as the others got up as well. He looked at Ellengio. "And we'd like to get to Wutai as soon as possible ouselves."

He turned to Nipala.

"Are you accompanying us?"

"Of course," she replied.

"Well, let's get going then," Red stated.

They all walked back to the stables together. All except Red and Nipala mounted up and they slowly rode out of the canyon again. When they reached the grass covered plain at the base of the mountins Cloud, Tifa, Aeris and Reeve turned to the south, while the others continued westward. About a half hour later they had reached the coast. As part of the stronger ties between Cosmo Canyon and Wutai since the battle with Jenova a ferry service had been established crossing the narrow ocean between the two continents. It had origninally run directly across the narrow straight from the beaches west of Cosmo Canyon to the area on the southern end of the Wutai continent that held the only strip of shoreline where boats could land. However just last month they had put the finishing touches on a new harbor that had been dug out on the coast just east of Wutai. Now the ferry ran up the coast from Cosmo Canyon and delieved it's passangers almost at Wutai's doorstep. A trip that had taken half a day by land was thus reduced to but a few hours travel in the comfort of the ferry.

They boarded the craft and soon were on their way. The seas were very rarely stormy in this area of the world, but a stiff wind often blew down between the continents from the north, making the water choppy. For seasoned sailors, it was nothing that would even be noticed, but for those unused to travel at sea, it made the ride a bit bumpy.

Ellengio availed himself of one of the seats in the covered lounge, keeping him comfortably out of the sun and the salt spray. Ren and Nipala, on the other hand, stood at the very bow of the ship, letting the cool wind rush through their fur and breathing in the salty air, while watching the white foam of the water as the bow cut through the waves. Red had spent little time in sea travel. In fact, his travels with his companions in Avalanche had been the first time he had been on a boat, but he found that he enjoyed it immensely. There was something fascinating about looking out and seeing nothing but a vast expanse of water all around you. The smells, the sights, the sounds, were all new and exciting. He knew his friends would be surprised to hear it, but he had promised himself more than once in the last few years while sitting in the often sweltering heat of Cosmo Canyon, that if he ever got the opportunity he would find himself a ship and take a long ocean voyage.

This voyage, however, was not a very long one, and soon they saw the new harbor in the distance, with the moutains of Da Chao and the tall spire of the Pagoda of the Five Gods looming up behind it. The ship docked soon after, and they departed, though not without a wistful backwards glance or two by Red. They walked along a wide paved road running toward the town through groves of oak and cedar trees. The road was well traveled, and they had to step aside on numerous occasions to let a large cart or truck pass by. The ferry wasn't the only ship to dock at the new harbor, and merchants had been quick to seize upon the new opportunites for trade that the harbor opened up for them. Already there seemed ot be a sizable amount of merchandise making it's way to and from the coast.

It wasn't long before they were in Wutai proper. As usual the streets were crowded with people. Wutai might not be the largest city, but it certainly seemed to be tbe busiest. But in spite of the fact that the crowded streets often put people in each other's way, the citizens always seemed cheerful and polite. It was a far cry from the far less crowded yet much more sullen streets of Junon, a city where the cab drivers seemed just as happy to run you over as take your fare.

"So where do we find this Lai li person?" Nipala inquired.

"She's meeting us at Lord Godo's house," Red replied.

They made their way rapidly through the crowds, which thinned out some by the time the reached Godo's residence. There was a small group of people standing by the front door. As they approached one of the figures called out their names and started towards them.

"We've been expecting you," Chekhov said warmly. "Godo is waiting inside. He wished me to express his apologies for not meeting you down at the dock, but he had some business that he had to attend to."

"No apology is necessary," Red replied.

Chekhov nodded and led them inside. They passed down a short hallway and a moment later found themselves in Godo's private quarters. Godo himself was seated on a chair in front of a rather ornate mahagony desk. A young woman stood beside him. There was a computer on the desk in front of them.

Godo stood up and turned to his guests as they entered.

"Greetings, Nanaki," he said cheerfully. "It is good to see you and your companions again."

"It's always a pleasure to visit Wutai," Red replied.

"So kind of you to say so," Godo responded. He looked at the young woman, who was staring at Red and Nipala with a great deal of interest.

"This is Lai li," he said.

Red greeted her and introduced the others.

"Nice to meet you," she said, her eyes resting on the tome in Ellengio's hands. "Is that the book?"

Ellengio nodded.

"Indeed it is," he replied.

"I'd like to get started on it immediately," she said, making no attempt to hide her enthusiasim.

She walked rapidly over to Ellengio.

"I'm sure you do," Godo said with a smile. "But our friends have just arrived and may be tired from their trip." He looked at Red. "Perhaps you would like to rest up a bit before starting on this, or maybe have a bite to eat."

"No, we are quite rested," Red replied. "The trip on the ferry wsa very comfortable, and we ate right before we left. Besides, I think we are as anxious as Lai li her to get started on this."

"Very well," Godo answered. He indicated the computer. "You may use the computer here. It's all set up to go. Lai li and I were discussing this before you arrived, but I am afraid I am quite behind the times when it comes to the use of computers. I'm afraid the technology has passed me by."

"You do yourself an injustice, Lord Godo," Lai li replied. "You were picking things up quite nicely."

"The young lady is merely flattering an old man," Godo replied. "I'm afraid I have other business to attend to, but feel free to use my quarters for as long as you wish."

"Thank you," Red said.

Ellengio handed the book to Lai li as Godo left the room. She took it and sat down in front of the computer. The others gatherer round behind her.

"So how exactly does this work?" Ellengio asked.

"It would take me hours to explain," Lai li replied. "This program is very complicated and took years to develop. I'm going to scan the pages of the book into the computer, and then it's going to try to decipher it using logic and the database of thousands of languages stored inside it."

"Scan the whole book?" Nipala said, looking at the large tome. "That will take hours."

"Yes it will," Lai li replied, apparently unperturbed by the prospect. "But it's the only way to do it. With each of us taking turns, it shouldn't be too tedious a chore."

"I don't think our paws would be very useful for this job," Red pointed out.

"Oh yeah," Lai li replied. "I suppose not. Okay, just Ellengio and I, but still, I think we can manage it."

Ellengio nodded and said nothing.

"And once it's in, how long do you think it will take?" Red asked.

Lai li shrugged.

"Hard to say," she replied. "It's optimized for speed, so it's quite possible we could have an answer in a few hours. But it might take a day or two, and sometimes longer. If we don't have an answer by then, it's likely that we'll never get one, but I'll let it run as long as a week if I have to."

None of the others looked too thrilled with that prospect. Lai li saw their faces.

"Don't worry. The longest it took with any language we tested it on was 37 hours. And while it's running, we can look it over ourselves and see if we can come up with something. Computer programs are good, and getting better every day, but sometimes all the computing power in the world is still no match for the human brain."

"We've been looking at it for two days and have come up empty," Red commented.

Lai li looked at them cooly.

"That may be true, but you didn't have me with you then, now did you?"

Red shook his head as Nipala walked over to the window and looked out. This was her first visit to Wutai and she had to admit she found the city enthralling. She could see the crowded square and the colorfully decorated houses lining it outside, their achitecture quite different from anything she had seen before, but very beautiful to look at. It was good thing too, because she had a feeling they were going to be here for quite some time.

* * *

The cold wind whistled through the concrete canyons that were the streets of Junon, and Elena pulled her coat tighter around her. The skies were gray above her, and heavy with the threat of the year's first snowfall. Winter was not Elena's favorite time of year, and the forcasters were predicting an especially harsh winter this year. But, of course, there wasn't anything she could do about it.

A car horn blared in ths street nearby. She walked on, not even glancing in that direction. The rarity of fossil fuels on the planet meant that most cities had few cars, and in fact had been a major reason most had turned to Mako energy. Since the downfall of Shinra and the discovery of the dangers of Mako, the search for new sources of fossil fuels had become a number one priority of most of the cities, and as it happened, Junon was lucky enough to have stumbled upon a large cache of oil, more through luck than anything else, while drilling offshore. As a result Junon was blessed with a much higher precentage of vehicles than all other towns on the planet. To someone unused to it, the rumbling of engines and the blare of horns would be a distraction, but Elena had been in Junon often enough to have become numb to the sounds of the traffic.

The traffic had jammed up here because of a large truck that had decided to stop in the right lane and unload it's cargo. Elena took the opportunity to slip across the street, not bothering to walk to the corner. She coughed as a huge cloud of black smoke being emitted from a pick up truck enveloped her. One of the other trade offs of having all these cars was the pollution they emittted. She glanced up at the grey skys above her again, recognizing that the color was not wholely due to winters approach.

She reached the sidewalk and walked another two blocks until she came to a large grey bulding fronted by roman columns. The words Junon Public Library were stenciled in the stone above the entrance. Elena walked inside.

Her shoes clicked on the slate floor as she walked across the cavernous lobby. She looked around. The lobby was crowded but no one seemed interested in her. Still, the noise of her shoes made her uncomfortable. Her Turk instincts told her any sound that gave you away was to be avoided. But she had no reason to be concerned about being detected here.

Even so, she felt better after she walked up to the second floor and her feet fell silent on the carpeted floors of the halls above. She walked slowly down the hall, following the signs until she found a room with a small plaque on the door that said 'publications'. The door was open, and the room contained two rows of chairs and small desks, each one with a computer terminal on top of them. She sat down at one, laying her coat on a vacant chair at the desk beside her. She pulled her own chair closer to the computer and typed quickly on the keyboard. The database in this computer system stored all the newspaper articles from most of the papers in Junon for the last 50 years. She quickly selected 'search' and 'name' and then typed in Victoria Valentine.

The computer paused for a moment, then the names and dates of two aticles appeared on the screen, both from the Junon Daily News, the most prominent paper in the town, and both from thirty years ago. She clicked on the earlier article and the information filled the screen:

JUNON DAILY NEWS

**DAUGHTER OF WEALTHY INDUSTRIALIST MATTHEW VALENTINE KILLED BY GUNSHOT WOUND **

**Bodine Clemens **

**Staff writer for the Junon Daily News **

**A 911 call yesterday night brought police to the home of weathly industrialist Matthew Valentine. There they found Victoria Valentine, Mr. Valentine's 17 year old daughter, suffering from a single gunshot wound to the chest. In spite of paramedics heroic attempts to save the young woman's life, she was pronounced dead just after midnight at Junon Medical Center. Miss Valentine's two brothers, Vincent (18) and Vernon (14) were said to be the only other people in the house at the time of the incident. Mr. Valentine and his wife were at a Shinra Exectives dinner at the time the shooting took place, but hurried home upon learning of the incident. Both Mr. Valentine and his wife are said to be distraught over the loss of their only daughter. Police are investigating. **

Elena went back and clicked on the next article, which was dated three days later.

JUNON DAILY NEWS

**VICTORIA VALENTINE LAID TO REST **

**AP wire service **

**Victoria Valentine, daughter of industrialist Matthew Valentine, was laid to rest during a small private ceremony this morning. After an investigation the police have labeled the death accidental. Victoria was killed by her older brother, Vincent Valentine during some 'horseplay' with a handgun at the Valentine estate. Vincent Valentine had recently been inducted as a member of the Shinra organization, the Turks, and had been celebrating with his siblings when the gun discharged, accidently killing Miss. Valentine. **

Elena quickly scanned the rest of the article, but it contained no other information of interest to her. She returned the main screen and sat back in her chair, looking at the computer while lost in thought.

Everything in the articles seemed to confirm what Vernon had told her. She had spoken to Vincent a couple of times since talking to Vernon, but Vincent had let the subject die each time, only reiterating on the fact that Vernon was a liar and she should not believe anything he told her.

Vernon had told her that they had grown up in Junon, and she had hit upon the idea of coming here and finding out for herself what the truth was. Now it appeared that Vernon had been telling her the truth all along.

Elena shook her head slowly. The more she thought about this the more it disturbed her, especially Vincent's reaction to it all. She could understand him not wanting to talk about it, or even be reminded of it, but the obvious hatred he seemed to carry for his brother did not seem to jib with the facts. Vernon had done nothing wrong, just been there when Victoria had been killed. She couldn't see that as being enough to cause Vincent to act this way. She knew Hojo had done horrible things to Vincent, and it had scarred him for life, but he was strong enough to get over it and get on with his life, no matter how difficult. Shouldn't he be strong enough to get over his feelings about his brother, escpecially since he had done nothing and so much time had passed?

On the other hand, who was she to judge? She hadn't gone through the terrors Vincent had endured at the hand of Hojo, she couldn't know just what that had done to him. Perhaps this was just his way of protecting himself. There were limits to what anyone could stand, and just maybe bringing back the memory of his sister, after working so hard at shutting it out, was just what it would take to push him over the edge. Maybe his irrational response was the only way he could cope with all this and keep his sanity. She was glad she hadn't told Vincent she was coming to do this.

Elena hung her head. She had been hoping to find some answers here, something that would clear up all the questions she had, but all she seemed to have done was raise more questions, most of which could only be answered by Vincent. And she knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

She lifted her head again and tapped on the keyboard, returning to the search. This time for 'name' she entered Matthew Valentine.

The computer paused again, for a longer period this time. Then a list of dozens of articles appeared on the screen. It appeared that Matthew Valentine had led an interesting life.

Elena starting looking through them, but quickly became disappointed. Most of them had to do with Mr. Valentines business dealings, which seemed to be quite extensive. But then, near the end, she came upon one article that immediately caught her eye.

JUNON DAILY NEWS

**MILLIONNAIRE INDUSTRIALIST MATTHEW VALENTINE AND HIS WIFE FOUND MURDERED AT THEIR ESTATE **

**Gelford Sampson **

**Junon Daily News staff writer **

**Matthew Valentine and his wife, Serina, were found dead in their bed by servants this morning. Both had been killed by a single gunshot wound to the head. Their younger son, Vernon, as well as the butler and maid, were all at the estate that night, but none of them reported hearing or seeing anything out of the ordinary. The killer apparently came in through an upstairs window, somehow circumventing the burglar alarm, then made his way to the master bedroom, where he gunned down both Mr. Valentine and his wife. Mr. Valentine had made many enemies in his business career and the methods used in this crime suggests this was a professional hit. The Valentines oldest son, Vincent, a member of the Turks, is being sought for questioning but the police have so far been unable to locate him. **

The article went into some detail about Matthew Valentines life, but revealed nothing more of significance to Elena. She quickly looked through the remaining articles, most of which dealt with the funeral arrangements and testimony's to the late couple by influential friends and business associates. After she had read the last one she returned to the main menu once more.

She glanced up at the clock. There was plenty more she wanted to look into, but she didn't have the time. She wanted to get back to Kalm before nightfall. She picked up her coat and walked downstairs, slipping it on as she crossed the lobby once again. Outside it was colder than ever, and she shivered for a few minutes even with her coat on, until her body began to adjust.

She didn't know what to make of what she had learned about Vincent's parents. It seemed that his whole life had been filled with just one tragedy after another. No wonder he was so screwed up. She wondered if she should even bring it up when she saw him again. Actually, that would probably not be a good idea. He would be bound to question where she had ontained the information, and she had no desire to get in a fight with him over this. She decided she would talk to Vernon about it instead. She didn't know exactly what had happened all those years ago, but she was begining to realize that Vincent's life before his encounter with Hojo was much more complicated than she had ever suspected.

* * *

A lone figure with hair as black as midnight stopped in front of a nondescript house among a row of nondescript houses that lined this particular street in Gongaga. He held the reins of a chocobo that stood patiently beside him, both of them looking rather travel stained and weary. The man stood silent in the street for a long time, so long in fact, that the bird beside him began to get impatient and warked plaintitively. Eventually, the man led the chocobo slowly up to the door of the house.

Again Zack hesitated, looking at the town around him and the house he now stood before. This was the house, Aeris had told him the number, but none of it looked familar to him. The town must have changed quite a bit since he had been here last, but even if it had remained exactly the same, he still would not have recognized a single structure.

He had passed a few people on the road on the way in, but none of them had been familar to him, nor had he seen a glimmer of recognition in any of their faces.

He looked at the door in front of him and paused again. All this time he had shied away from coming back here, avoided the town because he was afraid. Afraid that he would return and there would be nothing here for him. But now he had returned, only to find that his fears were justified. He felt no ties, no attachment to this town, or the people in it. To him it was just like any of the nameless and forgotten other towns he had passed through while known as the Swordsman. And now he stood in the doorway of the home he had grown up in, and still he felt not the slightest glimmer of familarity. For a moment he almost turned away, knowing that if the door opened he would find himself looking into the faces of strangers, and not sure he would be able to bear it, but the truth of the matter was he had no place left to go.

His hand came up but before he could knock the door swung open of it's own accord. A middle aged women looked up, started. Then suddenly she froze, staring at the young man in front of her, her eyes slowly going wide and her mouth dropping open into an almost perfect 'o'.

Then she swept him into her arms, grabbing him and hugging him so tightly it took his breath away.

"Oh my God," she said softly. "Oh my God, Zack."

She pulled back to look at him again, and he could see the tears in her eyes.

"It's so...it's so good to see you again," she managed, nearly overcome with emotion. "For the longest time we thought you were dead. It's been so long..we had given up hope..."

She pulled him toward her again, holding him silently and almost as tightly as the first time. Slowly his own arms came up and encircled her.

Eventually she released him, grabbing hold of his arm and drawing him inside, a smile on her face now though the tears continued to fall. "Gagnon!" she called excitedly. "Gagnon, come see who's here!"

An older man stepped into the room.

"What's all the fuss, wo..."

His mouth fell open and he stood there staring at Zack for a moment. Then a huge smile appeared on his face and he came over and crushed Zack in a bear hug of his own.

"Zack!" he said. "I can hardly believe it's you. I never thought..."

He let go and took a step back, looking the young man over, and Zack could see that his eyes were moist as well.

"I never thought we'd see you again," Gagnon finished slowly.

Zack was silent, looking at the two people in front of him. It was obvious this was a very emotional experience for them, that they had missed him tremedously, but he did not share the feeling. As much as he tried, as much as he wanted to make himself believe these were his parents in front of him, as much as he wanted to feel that emotion, to have missed them as much as they seemed to have missed him, he did not. He felt nothing, nothing at all. He looked at the faces of the two people in front of him, and all he saw was two strangers. He had told himself this was exactly what would happen, but somehow, deep inside, he had hoped otherwise.

His mother was talking to him, and he heard himself answer, but it almost seemed like it was someone else. He felt detached, and slipping farther and farther away. The whole time as the Swordsman, the only thing that had really kept him going was the hope that he would somehow find the truth about his past, and about the woman who had haunted his dreams. Now he had found the woman, and had caused her nothing but heartache and injury since the moment he had met her. He had learned the truth, but it was a bitter pill to swallow. He had found his past again, but it meant nothing to him. He realized now it was lost, his past could never be returned to him, and what was he without that? What was anyone without their memories? He knew now that when Shinra had shot him they had taken away something that was irreplaceable. Though he had not died physically, they had killed him nonetheless.

His parents talked to him for almost three hours, until the sun was low on the horizen outside. They spoke of how he had grown, and that they would have to get the relatives together for a kind of reunion now that he was back. They also asked him a lot of questions about what he had been doing all this time. He answered all their questions as best he could, but finally he just had to get away. He made an excuse about needing to get a little fresh air. His mother looked at him closely, and asked if he was all right, but he politely brushed off her concern. She reluctantly agreed, saying she had to prepare dinner anyway, and for him not to come back too late or he would miss it.

He assured her he would be back soon, then walked outside.

The sun was sinking and the air was chill. Zack did not have a coat, but he ignored the cold. He started walking slowly down the street.

He should not have come back. It had been a foolish thing to do, just another selfish false hope. It would have been better off for them all if he had stayed away. Though he didn't feel like these people were his parents, he still didn't want to hurt anyone. But now he had raised their hopes as well, which would only make what was to come that much more painful.

He reached the edge of town and kept right on walking. He was heading toward the ocean, but a group of steep hills to the southwest caught his eye and he headed in that direction.

Things were just as he had feared. He had ruined his chances with Aeris. He had acted like a fool, and knew now that he could only cause her more grief, and he did not want that. He realized now that the hope of finding Aeris had been a false hope, just as the hope of finding some memory here in Gongaga had been. His past was gone, and with it all that he had ever been. There was nothing left for him anymore.

Slowly he walked into the deepening twilight, alone.


	8. On the Edge

CHAPTER VIII

ON THE EDGE

The light was fast fading when Cloud and the others arrived at Gongaga. They had been riding hard all afternoon since they had left Cosmo Canyon, and were all bone weary, but no one mentioned stopping to rest as Cloud led them back out into the street.

"I guess we should check his parents house first," Cloud stated. "If he hasn't been there we'll split up into groups and search the town. If he's here he could be just wandering around at random, perhaps looking for something that might be familar."

"Or he might not be here at all," Reeve pointed out. "What do we do then?"

Start all over, Cloud thought, although he did not say it aloud. If they didn't find any trace of Zack here, it was unlikely they would ever find him. In that event, it would be up to Zack to reappear on his own.

They reached Zack's house and saw someone standing in the front yard. The sun was already below the horizen, and the first streetlights had come on, but as they approached Aeris realized it was Zack's mother.

The woman saw them and immediately walked rapidly over to them.

"Have you seen Zack?" she and Aeris both said at the same time.

They paused awkwardly for a moment.

"Has he been here?" Cloud questioned.

"Yes," the woman said, obviously upset. "He came by earlier this evening. We were talking for hours, but then he said he needed to get some air. He said he'd only be gone for a little while, but now it's been over an hour. Dinner is starting to get cold..."

She ended helplessly.

Aeris laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, he can't be far. We'll find him."

She turned toward the others.

"C'mon, he's got to be around here somewhere."

She started down the street, the others right behind her.

"Spread out," Cloud suggested.

They nodded and all took off in different directions. Tifa followed Cloud for a bit, then turned off toward the center of town, but she hadn't gotten very far when she heard Cloud call her back.

She saw him beckoning and trotted over to him.

"This way," Cloud stated. She followed him back the way they had come. She saw Aeris walking down the road ahead of them.

"What's up?" Tifa questioned.

"Aeris told me Reeve spoke to someone who said they saw a men fitting Zack's description heading south out of town," Cloud replied.

Tifa nodded but said nothing. Cloud was walking rapidly, and she was having difficulty keeping up. She looked ahead and saw Reeve standing on the road ahead of them. Aeris came up beside him and stopped, looking back at Cloud and Tifa.

"The man said Zack went this way," Reeve stated as they reached him, pointing to the hills to the southeast of town.

They started off once again. In spite of Cloud's rapid pace, Aeris took the lead. She didn't know why Zack would come here and then suddenly take off again. It really didn't seem to make much sense. A lot had happened in his life lately, and it was obvious he was having trouble adjusting to it all. She was hoping he had left because he was confused and wanted to sort things out for himself. But her gut instincts told her it was more than that. Though she had no real reason, she had felt a kind of dread ever since Zack had run off, and she thought it was of upmost importance that they find him as soon as possible.

About fifteen minutes later they had reached the base of a steep hill that jutted up above the plain. The hill was covered with tough thick bladed grass, but a narrow trail snaked through it up toward the top. They could see the ocean not far to the south, and hear the distant roar of the surf.

"Which way?" Tifa questioned, looking from the trail to the ocean.

They hesitated, eventually turing to Aeris, who, though she was staring up the slope, seemed not be to seeing at all, but instead listening to some sound that only she could hear.

"Up there," she said, nodding toward the hill. "Hurry."

They scrambled up the trail. It was very steep, and they often had to use their hands to help pull them up. Tifa, who was last in line, glanced back nervously a few times, worried that a slip would send her tumbling down the hill. Or worse, a slip by someone up front would send them all tumbling down. But a few minutes later they reched to top and they came out onto a wide grassy plateau.

The sun had set, and the first stars had now appeared in the sky. The world around them had faded to grey. They looked around. The hill looked out over the ocean. The side they had come up on was steep, but the ocean had cut into the hill on the opposite side, eroding it and leaving a sheer drop a hundred meters straight down to the beach below. At the very edge of the precipice they could barely make out a lone figure.

Aeris rushed over. The others followed more slowly. Zack half turned toward them as they approached, but other than that he seemed to ignore their presense. He was looking down at the ocean below. Aeris slowed down when she was a few feet away from him. She could tell he saw her, but he said nothing, nor did he turn toward her.

"Zack," she said.

He did not move. Aeris could hear the waves crashing on the rocks below. He was so close to the edge.

"I really wish you hadn't come," Zack spoke, his voice holding no hint of emotion.

"Zack, please get away from the edge," she said softly.

He did not move.

"I'm sorry Aeris," he said. "I've been such a fool. I thought you were the only thing I had left. And because of that, I tried to hold on too hard. I was afraid, afraid that if you didn't love me I'd have nothing left. But it was all just an illusion. Just my desperate attempt to believe that there was something still here for me. But that's not true. Your love isn't going to bring back the past, bring back my memories. Nothing can do that. All I managed to do was cause you and your friends grief, and for that, I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything so horrible," Aeris said.

"Maybe not this time," he replied. "But who's to say it won't happen again, and with a much worse result? I told you once before living as the Swordsman taught me to take whatever I wanted. I'm not sure now I can live any other way."

"It hasn't been very long," Aeris replied. "Give yourself some time."

Zack just shook his head.

"No, there's no point in that. I thought you were the solution, but that was naive and selfish of me. I never stopped to think about how it was affecting you, and your friends. But I finally realized it, and when I did, I didn't know what to do. So I thought I'd come here, back home to Gongaga. Home, if you could call it that. I thought maybe something here could spur some memory in me, but it didn't work out that way. My home, my parents, none of it belongs to me. The Zack you knew is dead, he was killed the day he was shot near Midgar, and he can never return. It was just by some twisted fluke that I stand here now before you. An accident. Something that should not have happened. I truely believe I was meant to die that day."

"Zack, don't say things like that," Aeris said nervously.

"There's no need to be afraid, Aeris," he said, raising his eyes to her for the first time. "I'm not. Not anymore. I cheated death once. I'm not afraid of it."

"So did I," Aeris reminded him. "We both came back. I'd like to believe that was for a reason."

"Maybe for you it was," he said. "The world would be a poorer place without you here. I'm afraid the same can't be said for me."

"You don't know what the future holds," Aeris replied. "Even if you can't get your past back, that doesn't mean you can't start anew. That doesn't mean there's no place for you anymore."

"I'd like to believe that," Zack said. "But my recent actions have made me feel otherwise. I don't want to go back to being the Swordsman, wandering with no purpose, and I don't want to hurt you or your friends. My last hope was here in Gongaga, and it proved false. I'm afraid there's nothing for me at all now."

"Zack, please," Aeris said pleadingly.

"You shouldn't have come, Aeris," he said. "I really do love you, and I wanted to spare you any further hurt. But at least it gives me the opportunity to say goodbye, something I never got a chance to after Nibelheim."

"Zack, please don't..." Aeris said, feeling tears running down her cheeks.

"Zack," Cloud said, suddenly steppping forward. "C'mon man, listen to her. I know things have been tough, but no one's going to hold it against you. We've all had our problems. Christ, Aeris has told you what I went through when we were fighting Sephiroth. I fell apart completely. I nearly killed Aeris myself, and gave Sephiroth the black materia, even though I knew he was going to use it to destroy the planet. Hell, you can't get much more messed up than that, right? But I managed to pull through it, and no one abandoned me. And we won't abandon you either."

"Thank you for the kind words," Zack said. "But the truth is you were being influenced by Sephiroth, and were too weakened from what had happened to you to fight it. But there is no one influencing me. What I've done I've done of my own accord. When Sephiroth died you were set free, but I'll never be free."

"What about your parents, Zack?" Tifa spoke up quietly. "After all this time, you've finally come back to them. When we came into town looking for you, your mother was distraught that you had disappeared again. For the first time in a long time you've given them hope. Do you really want to take that away from them now?"

Zack turned his eyes toward Tifa.

"I don't like to see them hurt, but the truth is their hope is false as well. They think their son has returned, but the person they are looking for is the old Zack, but that's not who I am anymore. If I remained here, they would soon realize that I'm as much as stranger to them as they are to me. No, their son died long ago, and now it's just a matter of me taking the final step."

He turned away from them.

"Zack!" Aeris exclaimed, her voice nearly choking with tears. "Please don't. Please Zack. I..."

Zack's foot started to take a slow step forward, and Cloud matched it, preparing to lunge forward, even though he knew he was too far away to save his friend.

"I love you," Aeris cried out.

Zack's foot stopped in midair. The others stood there, rooted in silence, all of them staring at Aeris. The only sound for many seconds was the sound of the surf below them.

Slowly Zack drew his foot back. He turned around, looking straight at Aeris, though in the gathering darkness he could not make out her face clearly. They stood there for a long time locked in one another's gaze, and finally Zack smiled ruefully.

"I know you well enough now to know that you would do anything in your power to stop me," he said, very slowly and deliberately. "But would you be willing to live out your life with a man not because you loved him, but just to save him from himself? Can you really look me in the eye and tell me you love me?"

For a long time there was silence once more. Tifa glanced over at Reeve, who was standing as if turned to stone.

"I...I don't know," Aeris said finally. "But I do know it would hurt me terribly to see something happen to you. You tell me you don't want to cause me any more pain. If that's true, then don't do this. I thought I had lost you for so long, and all that time something was missing from my life. And now I've found it again, and it's so precious I never want to let it go. Please don't take it away from me. I don't know whether I love you or not, but I do know that I never want to lose you again."

Again there was silence, and for the first time, Zack seemed hesitant.

"Please Zack," Aeris said yet again, reaching out her hand. "Come back to me."

A light breeze wafted through the night air, stirrring their hair and bringing the salty tang of the sea. Still Zack did not speak. He had been so sure of what he wanted to do when he had come up here, but now Aeris words filled him with doubt. He had thought for the first time since he had met Aeris he was being unselfish, thinking of them instead of himself, but now he realized that wasn't true. He had seen the grief he could cause by remaining with them, but hadn't really thought about the grief that would come from the course of action he was now following. He looked into Aeris tear stained green eyes, and his heart ached in his chest. This was not what he wanted at all.

"She's right Zack, we'd all miss you," Cloud spoke up. "You saved my life. And you were my best friend once. I'd like to think that you still are."

Zack did not reply. Aeris took a slow step toward him, then another. She was right in front of him now. She reached out, and then his hand gripped hers. They stood there for a moment, hand in hand, looking at one another as some silent exchange took place between them. And then Aeris slowly turned and led him away from the cliff, walking without a word back toward the path and down the hill, the others following silently behind.

* * *

"Yuffie! If you want to eat, you better get up!"

Yuffie grunted something unintelligable and turned away from the door, pulling the blankets closer about her. Marlene waited a moment, but there was no further response. She shrugged and walked back to the kitchen.

"I don't think she's gonna get up," she remarked.

Barret, in the process of placing a large platter of pancakes on the table, did not seem partiularly concerned.

"Her loss," he muttered.

Marlene sat down beside Amanda and started forking pancakes onto her plate.

"Hey, better eat all those," Barret commented, looking dubiously at the pile that was quickly forming in front of her.

"I will," she replied. "I love pancakes. Especially the way you make them, Dad."

"Well thanks pumkin," Barret replied. He sat down and grabbed a fork himself. Between the three of them, the stack of pancakes quickly disappeared.

Barret pushed his plate away and stood up. He looked at Amanda.

"So what are your plans for today?" he inquired.

Amanda shrugged.

"I think Aunt Yuffie wants to go shopping," Marlene replied. "She said something about it last night."

Barret nodded, not looking in the least bit surprised.

"Well, I better get ready to go," he said.

"I really wish you didn't have to work on Saturday," Marlene stated, looking at him unhappily.

"I know," he replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I wish I didn't either, sweetheart, but at least it's only for half a day. And I promise when I get back I'll take you to the park like I said I would."

Marlene's face brightened as she got up to clear the dishes away.

"Okay," she said cheerfully.

They had gone back to the warehouse yesterday after Barret had come home, just like Yuffie had predicted, and also just as she predicted, they had found nothing. Barret had apologized to Amanda that they could not track down the people who had done this to her, and had promised he would use the full power of his office to try to find these people and what they had been planning for her.

Barret smiled suddenly and reached into his pocket.

"If you're going shopping you might as well have some gil to spend," he said. He handed Marlene some bills.

Marlene took the gil, looking happier than ever.

"Thanks, Dad. You're the best!"

"You know it," he replied. He leaned over and held out some gil for Amanda, who looked at him for a moment, then slowly took it, feeling more than a little embarrassed. Barret had made no mention of his credit cards, and as far as Amanda could tell, he was still in the dark about it, and if he didn't say anything, she certainly wasn't going to be the one to bring it up. Nevertheless, she took the offered gil.

"Thank you, Mr. Wallace."

"Call me Barret," he replied. "Mr. Wallace sounds way too formal, and I have to hear it everyday from a bunch of jackasses at work. I'd rather not listen to it at home as well."

Amanda nodded but said nothing.

"Okay," Barret continued. "I better get going. Behave yourselves. Don't let Yuffie get you into any trouble, and if you know what's good for you, you won't tell her I gave you any gil."

"Goodbye Dad," Marlene said, getting up. Barret came over and gave her a hug and a smooch, then he disappeaered out the door.

Amanda helped Marlene clear away the dishes. They had just finished the job when Yuffie made her appearence.

"You missed breakfast," Marlene told her.

Yuffie yawned and shrugged.

"I'll just have some juice," she said.

An hour later they were once more in downtown Corel. They wandered around for most of the morning, cruising into various shops along the downtown strip. Marlene, who usually went shopping with her father, was thrilled to be out with the other two girls. Yuffie was a relentless shopper, moving rapidly from shop to shop, never seeming to tire, but it was soon obvious that Marlene could not keep up, and by midmorning they found themselves eating an early lunch in a small and, Amanda made sure, not too expensive cafe. They resturant had a few tables under brightly colored umbrellas along the street in front, and even though the weather was a little chilly, they decided to sit outside.

Though it seemed Yuffie was perfectly at ease, relaxing and not paying much attention to her surroundings, in fact the opposite wsa true. Even when in the middle of an argument with a salesclerk trying to haggle down the price of some clothing, she still was alert to everyone and everything around them. She found it gratifying that she hadn't seen Reno or Rude today, even though she realized that didn't mean much. She didn't know what Reno had in mind, but she found it highly suspicious he would be hanging around Corel right now. She couldn't help but think back to the million gil the man had offered for Barret's life. That was a huge amount of money, and even though Reno had refused when she had been listening, that didn't mean that he hadn't had second thoughts later on. She knew that everyone just thought of her as a spoiled brat who was only interested in herself, and when they first met her that might have been true, but in spite of that she still cared about her friends, and was not about to let Barret be killed if she could do something about it.

Amanda saw Yuffie discreetly watching the people strolling along the sidewalk in front of the cafe. Without really thinking about it, she found her eyes straying to the street as well. In mid afternoon in the middle of downtown Corel, there were quite a few people filling the streets. Amanda glanced idley at the faces of the people walking by, then shifted her sight to the other side of the street. Her face paled momentarily as she saw a man standing in the doorway of a small shop. He stood there looking right at her for a moment, until it was obvious she had seen him, then he stepped onto the sidewalk and walked rapidly down the road.

Amanda composed herself in an instant, but even so she suddenly saw Yuffie give her a sharp look.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Amanda replied after a moments hesitation, and as calmly as she could. Yuffie looked at her for a moment more, then seemd to shrug it off and her eyes wandered back to the street.

Amanda breathed a silent sigh of relief. Sometimes Yuffie was a little too observant for her own good.

For as long as she could remember, Amanda had led a very structered life. She had always had a personal tutor, and had spent almost all her free time in training. She had never had an opportunity to interact with people her own age. But now, hanging out with Yuffie, and yes, Marlene too, it had become painfully obvious to her what she had been missing all this time. For the last few days she could almost have believed that she was just an ordianry girl having fun with her friends, but the sight of Ice watching her brought back to her just how untrue that was. She was not just an ordinary girl, she never had been. And this was not just a simple outing with some new found friends. No, this was something much more than that. She had to admit she had been enjoying herself, but she couldn't let that interfere. She couldn't forget that this was all just a charade, a ruse with only one purpose in mind, and that everything she had told them was a lie. She couldn't forget what is was that she was really here for.

* * *

Elena aimlessly stirred the swizzle stick in her gin and tonic. The ice had long since melted, but the glass was still nearly half full. She had already had two, and she wasn't in any mood to get drunk.

She had been here almost two hours. She lifted her head and looked around the bar. It was quite crowded, not surprising for a Saturday night. She was sitting by herself at a table tucked away in a dark corner of the room, her eyes roving towards the entrance every few minutes, but so far she had seen no sign of Vernon. She had returned to Kalm in the late afternoon, and after she and Vincent had had dinner, she had helped him sort through the papers they had obtained in Midgar. They were almost finished looking through them now, but had found nothing pertaining to Vincent's condition.

Around nine he had gone out, giving no explanation, and she had not asked for any. He often wandered off at night, and she was used to it. She could picture him aloft on the rooftops, or wandering through dark alleys, shrouded in his cape, contemplating the universe and scaring the shit out of anyone he happened to run into.

In her angrier moments, which she had to admit seemed to be coming with greater frequency lately, she told herself she should leave him. After all, looking at it objectively she didn't seem to be gettting much out of this relationship, and things didn't look like they were going to get any better anytime soon. In spite of her not so subtle hints, he still refused to talk about what had happened or to even see his brother. On top of that, there was this whole transformation thing They had found nothing in the notes from Hojo's lab to indicate they could stop or even slow down whatever was happening to him. Did she really want to go out with a man who at any moment could permanently change into a raging beast?

No, objectively, it didn't look good at all. But there was more to it than that. He had his share of problems, more now than ever, it seemed. And even though he didn't show it, she felt he needed someone to be supportive now more than he ever had. It wouldn't be fair to abandon him now, but even more important was the look she had seen in his eyes on those rare occasions when he had held her in his embrace. He had never told her he loved her, but she had seen it there, in his eyes, she was sure of it. No one had ever made her feel the way he did when she was in his arms. She wasn't going to give up on that easily.

But even knowing that, she still wasn't going to stop trying to find out the truth on her own. She had come downstairs shortly after Vincent had left, but had seen no sign of Vernon. The thought had come to her that perhaps he had given up and left, driven off by Vincent's obvious emnity. But she had asked at the desk and he was still checked into a room. She had gone up and knocked on the door, but had recieved no answer. So now she was at the bar, hoping he would show up. This whole thing with Vincent and Vernon's parents, it was just too weird. She needed to talk to someone about it all.

She glanced at her watch. Almost 11:30. She was starting to get tired, and didn't think she could wait around much longer. Vincent was usually back shortly after midnight, not that it mattered. She could tell him she was at the bar, which would be the truth. She didn't have to mention who she was talking to. He might guess, but she didn't care.

But there was another reason she would have to leave soon, and that was that she was just plain tired.

She took one more sip from her drink, then pushed it away. Leaving a half full glass behind would seem like a tremendous waste to Reno and Rude, but it wasn't going to trouble her. She stood up, and even as she did so, she spotted Vernon walking into the bar.

He saw here immediately and walked over as she sat down again.

"Hi," she said as he pulled up a chair. "I've been looking for you. For a while there I thought you might have taken off."

"I had some business to attend to," he replied.

"Sounds like something Vincent would say," she replied.

Vernon laughed.

"I assure you my brother and I are nothing alike. So have you spoken to him about me?"

"Yes," she replied. "And I'm afraid his opinion is not going to change."

"That doesn't really come as a surprise," Vernon commented. "So why were you looking for me. Just wanted to know more about our past?"

Elena nodded.

"Specifically about you parents,' she replied.

He gave her a penetrating look. But before he could say anything she explained her trip to Junon and what she had found out there.

Vernon nodded when she had finished.

"My, aren't you the spirited one," he commented. "I'm sure Vincent wouldn't be at all pleased to hear about this little excursion."

"Vincent doesn't tell me what to do," he replied with a hint of defiance. "Besides," she continued in a conspiratorial tone, "I'm not going to tell him."

"Well, he won't hear it from me," Vernon assured her. "But Vincent has a way of finding out things. And he also has a way of dealing very harshly with people who cross him."

Elena looked at him skeptically.

"I'm not crossing him, I just want to know the truth," she replied. "Besides, he wouldn't hurt me."

Vernon returned her skeptical look. He seemed perfectly serious. Was he actually suggesting that Vincent would do her harm?

Before she could say anything he spoke again.

"So what exactly do you want to know?"

"I'm curious to know exactly what happened the night your parents were killed. The newspaper report was pretty scetchy. I'd like to hear more about it, if you don't mind."

She wasn't sure how painful the memories would be to Vernon. But he did not seem disturbed.

"Well, it was a long time ago," he said. "I've learned to live with it. Unlike some people, I can move on with my life."

Elena ignored his jab at Vincent and waited patiently.

"There really isn't much I can tell you," Vernon continued. "My parents retired to their bedroom about ten o'clock that night. I stayed up until just past eleven, then went to my room myself. I sat up reading a book for perhaps a half hour, then fell asleep. The next morning at eight the maid found them in their room. Whoever it was must have used a silenced gun, because my bedroom was right down the hall from theirs and I didn't hear a thing. The butler and maid had seperate quarters in the house as well, but they were downstairs, at the other end of the house. Someone had gotten in the window in one the quest bedrooms. It was very well executed. Whoever it was probably wasn't in the house more than ten minutes."

Elena pondered this imformation for a moment.

"And they never found who did it?" she questioned.

Vernon shook his head.

"My father had a lot of enemies. Someone could have been hired by anyone of a dozen people. The gunman could have been out of the country before the bodies were even found."

Elena nodded slowly and took another sip from her drink.

"What about the butler and maid?" she asked.

Vernon shook his head.

"Old friends of the family. Above reproach. Besides, they loved my parents, and were treated quite well. They were almost more members of the family than hired help."

"Even family members have secrets," she said pointedly.

Vernon gave her a hard look.

"Indeed," he replied. "But the butler and maid checked out. Believe me, I looked into it. My parents were very dear to me, and it was very difficult after they died. The police had nothing to go on, no fingerprints, no physical evidence. They kept the case open, of course, but without any clues there wasn't much they could do. But I made a vow to myself that if it took me the rest of my life, I would find the killer and bring him to justice. I've spent the last twenty years, and a considerable protion of my parents forture, on just that goal. I looked into every detail of the maid and butler's lives, and I am convinced they had nothing to do with it. I investigated all of my fathers old business partners, and as many of their employees as I could find. I posted a multimillion dollare reward for information on the crime, and spent huge sums of money following up tips, but after all this time, I found nothing to indicate that any of the men my father was doing business with had anything to do with the killing."

"So after all this time, you've come up with nothing?" she questioned. She had to admit she admired his dedication, and wondered if she would have had the same perserverence if she had been in his shoes. It seemed unlikely now, after all this time, that he would ever be successful.

Vernon nodded then looked at her for a moment, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

"I've run down every lead, no matter how wild. I've just got one theory left that remains to be explored, though I've been reluctant to pursue it."

"Why is that?" Elena asked.

Vernon hesitated for a moment.

"The house had a state of the art burglar alarm. Yet it never went off. The police believe the man came in the window because they found marks on it indicating it had been forced upen, but it was not actually open. They found no other way for someone to get in. But maybe there was."

Elena took another sip from her drink and made a sour face. Gin and tonic did not taste very good warm.

"How?" she asked.

"Through the front door," he replied.

Elena looked puzzled.

"But you said the alarm was on," she pointed out.

"True, but that wouldn't stop someone who knew how to turn it off."

Elena looked at him sharply. Suddenly she had a feeling she knew where this conversation might be going.

"Where was Vincent during this time?" she asked suddenly.

"Supposidly at Nibelheim," Vernon responded. "It was right before he disappeared."

Elena frowned.

"Surely you're not going to suggest that Vincent did it?" she blurted out.

Vernon just sat there for a moment looking at her silently.

"It's not something I'm anxious to believe myself," he replied. "But there are certain things about it that force me to consider it. Vincent and my parents had a falling about because of Victoria's death. Whether rightly or not, they blamed him for it. And he couldn't understand why they couldn't forgive him for the accident. He and my father fought constantly after that. Vincent had always been strong willed, and had always been difficult, but I'm afraid after that he was impossible. The two of them almost came to blows one night, and Vincent stormed out of the house, vowing never to return. And he kept his word. He never did come back, even though I tried to talk him into it a number of times. He was bitter about the whole thing, and told me more than once that he never wanted to see them again. That he hated them."

Elena sat there unmoving, shocked and upset by what Vernon was telling her. She knew Vincent was a dangerous man, but to think that he could do something like that to his parents was just beyond belief, no matter how he felt about them.

"Even if that was true, that doesn't mean he killed them." she said.

Vernon nodded.

"I know, but it makes you wonder, doesn't it? Perhaps Vincent retuned to Junon that night, knowing that everyone thought he was in Nibelheim. He climbs to the upstairs window and makes it look as if it were tampered with. Then he walks in the front door, turning off the alarm. Now all he has to do is walk upstairs and into my parents bedroom. Then he comes back down, turns the alarm back on, and leaves. You have to admit it's a plausible scenario, and the only one I've been able to come up with that fits all the facts."

Elena was slowly shaking her head.

"I don't believe it," she stated.

Vernon shrugged.

"To tell you the truth, I don't want to either, but like I said, I vowed to find out the truth, no matter where it would lead me. The police had supicions about Vincent too, and they wanted to talk to him, but they never got the chance. They went to Nibelheim to question him but Hojo told them he had diappeared. It was eventually assumed he had died, and the matter was dropped, by me as well as everyone else. But then, after all these years, I heard he had reappeared. Ever since I found out, I've been searching for him, to see if I could finally find the truth."

Elena tapped her finger on her chin.

"So that's why you're really here?" she questioned.

"Yes," he replied. "I've followed every other lead I could. He may be my brother, but regardless of that I intend to find out if he had anything to do with this."

Elena bowed her head, a little overwhelemed by all this.

"I still don't believe it," she said again. "He wouldn't do something like that to his parents."

"He was a Turk," Vernon replied. "They have a reputation for ruthlessness, as you well know."

Elena looked back up at him again.

"Yes I do," she replied. "But we kill to do a job, not out of maliciousness. We're taught to keep our emotions under control, and from what I've seen, Vincent is very good at that."

"Is he?" Vernon questioned, leaning closer. "Is he good at keeping his emotions under control, or just hiding them? How well do you really know him?"

Elena paused at the question. It was obvious that she hardly knew him at all, but she really didn't want to admit that.

"Well enough," she stated.

"I hope so," he replied. "I really do. I lived with him for a long time, and I couldn't really say that I know him. But one thing I do know is that he's a dangerous man. He's killed many people, Elena, probably more than you could imagine. Don't make the mistake of thinking you'd be immune if you got in his way."

For the first time Elena felt herself becoming angry.

"I told you he wouldn't hurt me," she said testily.

"Like I said, I hope so, for your own sake," Vernon replied, undisturbed by her anger. "If what I'm saying is true, and I'm not saying for sure that it is. Right now I just have suspicions. This could easily turn into another dead end. But if it did happen the way I suggested, he'll obviously want everyone to let it lie. If you start poking around in this and he finds out, you may find out more about him than you could ever want to know. The truth could come with a very high price tag."

Elena frowned again. She didn't like anything Vernon was telling her, and no matter what Vincent had done in the past, she couldn't bring herself to believe that he would ever do her any harm.

"I think I've had just about enough of this converstation," she said slowly.

Vernon nodded.

"Very well," he replied. "But no one said finding the truth would be easy, or that it wouldn't be unpleasent. Like I said, right now I have no real proof, and it could still be that Vincent is perfectly innocent. I'd rather not have you involved in this at all, but after your little trip to Junon it seems to me that you probably won't listen to any advice to that effect. But at least heed this advice. Watch yourself. Even if you trust him, it couldn't hurt to be a little cautious. If he's got nothing to hide, it will do no harm, and if he does, it could just save your life."

Elena stood up slowly. She didn't believe for a minute that Vincent could have done what Vernon was suggesting. In fact, she felt a little defensive about it. But he had said it was just another theory, one he hoped was not true, and could she really blame him for following all possible leads?

"Well," she said slowly. "I think you're completely wrong, and if you've come here to find some proof of his involvement I think you're just wasting your time. But I will keep my eyes open, and I will be cautious, not that I think it's necessary. But I'm afraid when all this is over, you're going to be no closer to the truth than you are now."

Vernon nodded.

"I hope so myself," he replied, standing up as well. "If you need to talk to me again, you know where to find me."

"Yes I do," Elena replied, then hurried off.

Vernon watched her until she disappeared up the stairs. Then he walked over to the bar and ordered a drink, realizing that he had never ordered one when he had come in. He took the drink and walked up the stairs himself. It was after midnight now, and the halls were quiet. He slipped the key in his door and pulled it open. He stepping inside and flicked on the light. Vernon jumped when he saw Vincent was sitting in a chair by the window.

"Damn!" he muttered, recovering immediately. He was tempted to ask how his brother had gotten in, but picking the lock would have been a simple matter for a Turk.

"What are you doing here?" he opted for.

"I could ask you the same thing," Vincent replied calmly.

"This is my room," Vernon observed.

"Why were you looking for me?" Vincent questioned.

"I told you," Vernon replied. "I heard you were alive again. It had been years since I saw you. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Vincent slowly stood up, his gaze locked on Vernon.

"Since when did you become so interested in my welfare?" he asked coldly.

"Look," Vernon said. "I know we didn't see eye to eye, but that was a long time ago. I've done a lot of thinking since then. I thought you were dead, when I found out you weren't I thought maybe we could...I don't know, maybe patch things up between us."

Vincent took a slow step toward him.

"Patch things up? That doesn't sound like the Vernon I knew."

"Well it's been almost thirty years," Vernon stated. "Don't you think a guy could change in that time?"

Vincent took another step toward him, and now he stood right next to his brother, staring at him.

"Maybe some people, but not you. I know you too well, Vernon. You'll never change. Change isn't in you. I don't know why you're here, but you're certainly not here to make amends. No, you've got your own selfish reasons, and to tell you the truth, I don't really care what they are, just as long as you stay out of my way."

"How quaint," Vernon replied sarcastically. "After all these years you're still giving me brotherly advice."

"Advice it would be well for you too heed," Vincent stated simply. His voice was firm and emotionless, but his eyes burned with fire. "Whether you've changed or not is irrelevant, but quite a bit has happened to me. Some very unpleasent things, as a matter of fact. Things that have made me view the world in a much harsher light than I used to. Things that have left me bitter and vengeful. I'm afraid that if you push me this time, the fact that you are my brother may not be much value to you anymore. So do yourself a favor, stay away from me, and stay away from Elena."

Vernon looked up at him at the mention of her name.

"I'm a grown man," he stated. "I can talk to whoever I please. If the lass..."

He never got to finsh the statement as a clawed hand suddenly shot out and enveloped his throat. Vincent lifted him up and slammed him heavily against the wall. Vernon looked at him, suddnly gasping for breath, but the claw had his windpipe closed off.

"This is not negotiable," Vincent said, his voice suddenly filled with menace. "I'm not asking you to do me a favor, I'm not giving any advice. A long time ago you crossed me and I let you live. That has never happened since. Don't make the mistake of thinking I will be lenient again. Leave Elnea alone or I will kill you. Do you understand?"

Vernon made gagging noises and motioned desperately that he could not breath.

"Do you understand?" Vincent said once more.

Vernon stared at him for a moment, his eyes bulging in his head. Finally he nodded.

Vincent let him go and he fell to the floor, sucking in huge lungfuls of air. It took him a few moments until he could finally speak.

"That's the trouble with you, dear brother," he gasped out. "You were always the first one to resort to violence to get things done, now weren't you?"

He recieved no answer, and when he looked up, he was alone in his room.


	9. Ellengio Expains It All

CHAPTER IX

ELLENGIO EXPLAINS IT ALL

Tifa awoke to the warm touch of sunlight on her face. She lifted her head, blinking in the shaft of light from the early morning sun falling on her through a nearby window. They had returned to Zack's house last night, much to his parent's relief. His mother had insisted they stay for the night. No one had told her what had happened up on the hill, in fact, no one had said much of anything. They had engaged in some small talk, but they couldn't hide the look on their faces, and Tifa knew it was obvious even to Zack's parents that something had happened.

She sat up and stetched. The couch was not very comfortable, and she had tossed and turned most of the night, but she wasn't sure whether that was because of the couch or all she had on her mind.

She looked over at Cloud, who was still asleep, propped up on two chairs that had hastily been pushed together, and couldn't help but smile. He looked even less comfortable than she had been, but it didn't seem to have stopped him from sleeping like a log.

She got up, being careful to be quiet so as not to wake him. The sun stood just above the horizen, so it must still be very early, but she felt no more need for sleep. She walked into the kitchen. This room faced west, sheltered from the rising sun, and was much colder. She shivered in the chill. There was frost covering the lower half of the windows.

She filled a teapot with water and put it on the stove to warm. No one else seemed ot be up, the house still eveloped in silence She stood there waiting for the water to boil, letting herself relax in the morning quiet.

When the water had boiled she poured herself a cup of tea, then walked over to the window, sipping experimentaly to make sure it wasn't too hot. The house cast a long shadow on the backyard outside, the grass still covered with frost. It wouldn't be long now before the world was firmly caught in winter's grasp.

It took her a moment to notice the figure sitting on the stoop outside the backdoor. It was Reeve.

She poured another cup of tea and opened the door. The chill air hit her like a slap in the face. Reeve looked up as the door opened.

"Reeve, what are you doing out here?" she exclaimed. "You'll catch your death of cold."

Reeve looked at her silently for a minute, then turned away.

"I'm not cold," he replied.

It was a transparent lie.

"Reeve, it's freezing," she countered, watching the white mist from her breath. "C'mon inside."

Reeve shook his head.

"No thank you," he replied, his voice flat.

Tifa just stood there for a moment, looking down at him. It was obvious he wasn't going to listen to reason. She hesitated for a moment, then sat down beside him, shuddering for a second at the feel of the cold stone beneath her.

"At least take this," she said, offering him a cup of tea.

He hesitated a moment, then slowly reached out and accepted the cup. They sat there in silence for a little while, Reeve staring off into the distance and Tifa shivering beside him.

"Reeve," she tried. "I don't think you should read too much into what happened yesterday. We were all suffereing from a lot of stress. In a situation like that, people say strange things..."

She stopped, looking at him, but he made no response. She had a feeling no matter what she said, it wasn't going to be of much help. But she felt the need to try, nevertheless.

"I'm sure things will all work out in the end," she said optimistically.

Reeve took a sip from the tea. She looked at him, but he did not return her gaze.

"She said she loved him," he said finally.

"She just said that to try to save his life," Tifa replied immediately. "She admitted it herself."

Reeve shook his head.

"No, it was more than that. I saw they way they were looking at each other. I could tell..."

The words faded.

"Reeve..." Tifa began.

For the first time he turned toward her, a forced smile on his face.

"It's okay, though. You don't have to try to cheer me up. I understand. He was her first love. He's strong, handsome, so many things that I'm not. I guess it was kind of silly of me to think that there could be any other outcome. I feel so stupid..."

"Reeve, don't," she said. "Please don't torture yourself. I think you're reading too much into this. I don't think Aeris herself is sure right now what she wants, or how she feels. But I know she cares for you both very much."

Reeve bowed his head, her words seeming to have little effect. Tifa looked at him helplessly. She wanted to reassure him, but there really wasn't anything else she could say. She knew how he felt. She had felt the same way when she had seen Aeris with Cloud, back before she had found out his true feelings. She knew how devatasted she would have been if he had chosen differently.

Reeve took a deep breath.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up," he said. "But right now I don't feel like doing much besides wallow in self pity. But don't worry, I'm not going to do anything stupid."

"I didn't think you were," Tifa replied.

He allowed himself a rueful smile.

"I'm a big boy, I can take it. It's not like I shouldn't have been expecting it, anyway. I'm sure I'll get over it, eventually. But I'm only human and I think I've got a right to do some wallowing, at least for a day or two. After that, I'll get over it, I promise."

Tifa couldn't help but smile. No, if he wanted to wallow she couldn't blame him at all. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"You're a good guy, Reeve."

He forced a crooked smile.

"Yeah, and you know where they finish."

He noticed that, in spite of her tea, she was shivering uncontrollably.

"Why don't you go inside," he said. "It is cold out here. I'll be fine, really."

She looked at him hesitantly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he said reassuringly. "Really, I'm fine."

She gave him a long look, then nodded slowly.

"All right," she said. "But don't stay out here too long. I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"Yes mother," he replied.

Tifa made a sour face, then got up and retreated back into the house. She quickly closed the door behind her and stood there for a moment just letting the warmth of the room seep into her. It was so cold out there!

She downed the last of her tea and walked back into the living room. Cloud opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Good morning," she said, walking over to him.

"Good morning to you," he replied. "How long have you been up?"

"A while," she replied.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Not all that well," she said.

He nodded and took hold of her hand. He looked up at her in surprise.

"You're so cold."

"I know, warm me up," she replied and plopped down in his lap.

"Damn!" he exclaimed, shuddering and trying to pull away, but of course, he had no place to go. "You're ice cold! What, were you sitting in the freezer?"

"No," she replied, wrapping her arms around him as he tried vainly to push her away. "Reeve was sitting outside and I went out to keep him company."

"Wouldn't it have been easier for him to come in?" Cloud asked rhetorically, as he pulled his blanket around both of them. "How is he doing?" he finished, more seriously.

"I feel so bad for him," she replied. "He's not taking it well at all. He seems to think Aeris has made up her mind."

"Well I can't blame him after that display last night," Cloud replied.

"So you think she loves Zack too?" she questioned. "Even though she said she wasn't sure?"

"I don't know," he replied. "In spite of the denial, she seemed pretty serious to me when she said it."

"I'm not so sure," Tifa replied doubtfully.

"So talk to her," Cloud replied. "Let me know what you find out."

"Me? Why should I do it? Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"What makes you think she would tell me anything?" Cloud said.

"What makes you think she would tell me?" Tifa countered.

"It's girl talk," Cloud replied knowingly. "Isn't that what you always talk about when you get together?"

She looked at him sharply.

"Hey, I resent that! You guys and your ego. You think all we ever do is talk about you?"

Cloud nodded and smiled innocently.

"Why not? I know that when I'm with my friends, all I ever talk about is you."

She looked at him skeptically.

"Smooth. But you're not going to get out of it that easily."

He pulled her closer to him and kissed her slowly.

"And don't think one kiss is going to let you weasal out of it either.." she began, as he kissed her again.

His arms wrapped around her, but suddenly he pulled away as they heard the sound of someone walking into the room.

Tifa turned around to see Reeve standing in the doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, "but it looks like Cid's coming."

They disentangled themselves from the blanket, and even as they did so Tifa picked up the low rumble of an aircraft. They hurried outside, Tifa muttering a curse under her breath to be out in the cold once again. They looked south and saw the distinctive outline of the Slipstream descending above the houses. Cloud immediately ran down the road towards it, the others following more slowly. The plane came down in a rock strewn field just on the edge of town. Cloud reached it just as the hatch opened up.

"What the hell are you people doing running around in this freezing weather without any damn coats on?" Cid admonished as he stepped out of the plane. He looked quite comfortable himself in his fur lined bomber jacket.

"Hey, can I help it if we can't wait to see your smilling face?" Cloud shot back. "How was the rocket test?"

"Great!" Cid replied somewhat proudly. "Everything went smooth as silk. Should be ready to launch in a few weeks. But I ain't here to talk about that. Ellengio wants you all in Wutai pronto. He and Red have traslated the book. So get your gear together and let's haul ass!"

* * *

It took them almost an hour to get everything organized, and nearly as long to fly to Wutai, but soon they found themselves walking down the street toward Lord Godo's house.

They had put on their coats, of course, but Tifa still shivered. It was even colder here than in Gongaga, and she could see clumps of snow along the sidewalks from a recent snowfall. She walked along next to Aeris, but her friend was silent.

Inside Lord Godo's house a fire was burning brightly in the huge fireplace in the living room. Ellengio, Red, Nipala, and Lai Li were gathered around a table with the book open on it. Ellengio looked up and greeted them.

"Glad you could make it. Thank you for coming so promptly."

"You're welcome," Cloud replied. "And we hardly had a choice, since Cid nearly dragged us out of the house to get us here."

Cid just shrugged.

"You said it was important."

"Indeed it is," Ellengio replied. "Indeed it is. Please, have a seat, all. This may take a bit of explaining."

Ellengio waited patiently until they were all comfortable.

"We've translated the book," he said. "As Cid may have told you. It took less time than we thought."

"It was pretty easy, actually," Lai Li interrupted. "We thought it would have no relation to any known language, but we were wrong. It was actually quite similar to an archaic form of the Cetra language. The program picked it up immediately and we had our translation in no time."

Ellengio paused for a moment, seeming slightly perturbed by the interruption. But then he continued.

"Yes, that's true. We were all quite surprised by that."

"So wait a minute," Reeve cut in. "If the language in the book is related to the Cetra language, then doesn't that mean that it might be from this planet after all?"

"Good question," Red replied. "And at first, that was what we thought. But...well, just listen to the rest of the story."

"Yes," Ellengio said slowly, looking around at them. "You'll all get a chance to ask questions later. If I may please continue?"

All of them took the hint.

"As I was saying," Ellengio continued. "The book is written in an ancient Cetra language and appears to be a history of a Cetra clash with Jenova on another planet."

They all looked at him in surprise. Cloud opened his mouth, but did not speak.

"The name of the planet was Shinialyn. For a thousand years, the two species had fought one another there, with neither side gaining an advantage. Those were dark years, the book filled with chapter after chapter of horror and destruction. The Certa suffered terrible losses, but they did not abandon the planet. They knew that this menace had to be faced, for if it was not stopped on this planet then it would spread, out to other worlds, and to any innocent species that may dwell there. The Cetra could have fled, but if they had done so, they would have left these other planets undefended against this threat."

"But Jenova was an adaptable species, and though the Cetra tried many different tactics against them, nothing was very successful, and eventually, Jenova started to win."

"Slowly the cities of the Cetra around the planet were destroyed or fell to Jenova, until finally only one was left, the greatest city the Certa had constructed on the planet, the city of Dal Centir. The leader of the Cetra at that time was a great warrior known as Rostalion. He had led his people in battle for many years, and no single Jenova could stand before him, but he knew even his prowess in battle could not save the city against the onslaught that was now approaching."

"All this time they fought, the Cetra continued to research new ideas, new ways to stop Jenova, and in the last hours a desperate plan was concieved. Though they knew the battle was hopeless and this planet was lost, they still believed that they might be able to stop the spread of Jenova to other worlds. There was another prominent Cetra at the time, a woman named Talisheedra. She was perhaps the greatest scientist in Cetra history. She had developed dozens of weapons to be used in the war against Jenova, and she had also created an electromagnetic force field generator. And it was in this that they placed their last hope."

"Shinialyn had a habitable moon orbiting it, called Grouchoon."

"Gesundheit," Cloud muttered. Tifa and Aeris both giggled.

Ellengio gave them a sharp look and they clammed up.

"Anyway," he continued. "Talisheedra was sent there with the best scientists the Cetra had left with the purpose of creating a force field generator that could envelope an entire planet. They were then supposed to use this generator to creat a force field surrounding Shinialyn, thereby trapping Jenova on the planet forever."

"But wouldn't..." Cloud started, but then shook his head and closed his mouth.

"Yes," Ellengio said, anticipating the question. "The force field would also trap any Cetra left on the planet. And there were still thousands, maybe even millions of them there. Many had scatttered into the hills when their cities had been destroyed, and many were slaves to Jenova. And there was still the population of Dal Centir. They had considered abandoning the city, but unless they remained to keep Jenova occupied, Jenova would follow them to the moon and possibly destroy the generator, and all would be lost then."

"Meanwhile Jenova had been gathering it's forces, and soon attacked the city. The battle raged on for weeks, and before it was over Talisheedra finished the generator. There was no way to get the people in Dal Centir out, of course, and Rostalion ordered her to turn it on. Reluctantly she did so, and all the Cetra on Shinialyn were left to their fate."

"That might have been the end of the story, but Talisheeda soon discovered a problem. The force field was not perfect. The power source wasn't strong enough to sustain it completly. Occasionally random holes would develop in it. And through these it was possible that a Jenova could slip out. Though it also meant that a Cetra could as well, she knew that for the good of all, these holes had to be closed up."

"Eventually, she came upon a solution. She developed a special type of gem, a gem that held so much power it could sustain the force field at full strength indefinitely. That gem is known to us as the crystal materia."

Once more he saw looks of surprise from those around him.

"Grouchoon had it's own intelligent species on it, called the Chadara. Though not as advanced as the Cetra, they nonetheless ageed to help any way they could. They assisted Talisheedra in the creation of the crystal materia. But again, Jenova had not been idle. At least one had already penetrated the force field. When it reached the moon and learned of Talisheedra's plans, it intercepted her on the way to the generator and killed her, but one of the Chadara escaped with the crystal materia. Knowing that Jenova would hunt him down and also realizing that he didn't have the knowledge to connect the crystal materia to the generator, the Chadara took a Cetra spacecraft and escaped, taking with him the crystal materia and a book."

No one had to say that he was talking about the same book that was on the table before them now.

"This Chadara managed, out of all the millions of stars with dozens of planets surroinding them, to somehow find his way to our planet. He must have died soon after. And it must have been his bones that lay in the cavern where both the crystal materia and the book were found."

Ellengio fell silent, looking around at them, his tale obviously at an end.

"Wow," Zack muttered. Even Cloud had to admit it had been a fasinating story.

"Why didn't the Cetra use the force field to protect Dal Centir?" Reeve questioned.

"That was actually discussed in the book," Ellengio replied. "That might have protected the city, but it would have left Jenova free to expand to other planets, which was what they were trying to prevent. They might have saved themselves, but left all the other worlds open to invasion."

"But maybe with some more time they could have developed a weapon that would work on Jenova," Cloud said.

"Perhaps," Ellengio replied. "But they didn't know for sure, and it was too risky to take the chance. They didn't have a lot of time, and the plan to shield the entire planet seemed the best."

Cloud accepted that answer and they fell silent, each pondering the story Ellengio had told them.

"Now wait a minute," Cid said. "If there were holes in this force field, and some Jenova could escape, then what was to prevent them from going to another planet and starting all over again, building themselves up until they could spread?"

"They could pass through the force field, but that doesn't mean it didn't affect them. Any Jenova that passed through was rendered sterile. They could escape, but only to live out their own lifetime. They couldn't colonize another world," Ellengio replied.

"If the Cetra reached Grou...Grouchoon, then what was to prevent them from destroying the generator?" Aeris asked.

"The generator was hidden, it's location known only to a few," Ellengio replied. "It would have been difficult for them to find it."

"After all these years, I'd say they've had time to do a very thorough search," Cid commented. "Hell, after all these years, it might have broke down on it's own by now."

"Possible, but I don't think so," Ellengio replied. "If the generator was no longer functioning, then Jenova would be free to expand out into the universe. In that case, I doubt that a single one would have arrived here by itself. Instead there would have been thousands of them. No, if the generator was not working, they'd be all over the place by now."

"You can't say that for sure," Nipala stated. "For all we know, some natural disaster or something wiped them all out long ago."

"Well, since one was here recently, there must still be _some_ around," Red pointed out. "But it's true, anything could have happened by now. Still, it seems likely to me that the threat is still there. A Jenova arrived here, and I think it's now clear what his purpose was. As long as the crystal materia exists, there's the possibility that it can be used in the generator to permanently close off Jenova's ability to escape from Shinialyn. They must want to destroy it at all costs."

"Exactly," Ellengio concured. "Which means, if they don't have proof that the crystal materia is destroyed, there's a good possibility we'll be visited again."

No one looked very happy with the thought of that.

"But it took them two thousand years to send another one after the first one failed. How do we know it won't take them two thousand more years to send another?" Tifa asked.

"And besides, if we don't use the crystal materia, I thought we were safe," Reeve added.

"Perhaps," Red replied. "But we don't know that for sure. We don't know how Jenova thinks. Another one could arrive at any time, for all we know. But even if it took two thousand years for another to come, do you want the threat of that hanging over our planets head?"

"You're talking like there's something we can do about it," Zack stated.

Ellengio stood there looking at them all for a moment.

"There is," he said.

The room suddenly went very silent.

"We have the crystal materia," Ellengio stated, slowly turning to look at Cid. "And we now have the capability to leave this planet."

Cid stood there for a moment as the realization of what Ellengio was saying sunk in.

"You want to use my rocket to go to this other planet?" he said, shocked.

Ellengio nodded slowly.

"It may be possible," he said.

The others just sat there, all of them as shocked as Cid appeared. To most of them what Ellengio had said was just a wild story, a fairy tale. Interesting as a bed time story perhaps, but no more. What he was suggesting now seemed so outlandish as to border on the ridiculous.

"I know the idea must be a shock to you," Ellengio stated, looking around at their faces. "And I know what I am proposing is a dangerous thing. I know you've all faced danger before, grave danger, but even so, this is different. What I am proposing is that you leave everthing you know behind, to head out into the unknown with no certainty that we will ever return. We all fought hard against Jenova, and were hoping that we had seen the end of this. And I wish that were true but it isn't. For what you've all done already, the people of this planet, and the planet itself, and indebted to you, and it seems almost unfair to ask more of you. But the Cetra of Shinialyn gave at least as much, and I cannot forget the sacrifices they made, for the sake of us all, and not just for themselves. I believe we owe it to them to attempt this. For without the sacrifices they made it is quite likely that Jenova would have overrun this planet long ago. They were my people, and in their name I am willing to take it upon myself, alone if necessary, and if I could, to finish what they started, to make sure that their deaths were not in vain."

He turned to look once more at Cid.

"But I cannot do it alone," he said. "I cannot pilot your ship, so I must burden you at least with accompanying me. I know you have every right to refuse, as do all your companions, but I'm asking you, for the sake of the Cetra that died to protect all of you long before you were even born, will you do this for me?"

Cid hesitated for just a moment.

"Yes," he said. "Hell, how could I refuse after a speech like that?"

The hint of a smile crossed Ellengio's face. He looked at the others.

"I'm with you," Aeris said immediately.

"And me," Reeve stated.

Cloud looked around.

"I think you'll find that we are all willing," he said slowly.

Ellengio nodded and bowed his head.

"Thank you all," he said softly.

"But wait a minute," Lai Li spoke. "Just because you've got a rocket doesn't mean you can go shooting off to whatever planet you like. How far away is this Shinialyn anyway? How do you get there? I don't know what kind of power the Certa rockets used, but the planet obviously is not in our solar system. It would take us years to reach it, at least, it might even take longer than our lifetimes."

Ellengio glanced over at her.

"Us?" he questioned.

"Of course," she replied. "I want to go too."

"I'm afraid that would be impossible," he stated.

"Why?" he retorted.

"This is going to be very dangerous," he replied. "I wouldn't want to put anyone in danger who didn't have to be."

"So? They're all going," she said, pointing to the others. "You're putting them in danger."

"But they've all trained for it," Ellengio replied. "They've fought Jenova before. They're experienced and they know what they're getting themselves into."

"You're going to another planet," she pointed out. "No one knows what's going to happen. None of you really knows what you're getting yourselves into."

"It's out of the question," he said firmly. "We know we're going to be facing Jenova. You're no fighter. The truth is, you would just be a burden."

"A burden?" she said angrily. "Hah! You think just because I don't know how to fight that I'm useless? Who was it that translated that book for you, anyway? There's more to this than just fighting you know, it might come in handy to have someone who's good with languages. You may run into those Chadara people there, and it's not likely that they're going to be walking around spouting the Kings english. Might be handy to have a translator with you."

Ellengio and Lai Li exchanged glares, neither one of them willing to back down.

"It's all moot if we can't get there," Cloud stepped in. "What about what Lai Li says? How do we find this planet?"

Ellengio took a moment to compose himself.

"We can find it, but we still need one more thing. With that all we would have to do is break out of orbit from the planet. Once in outer space we can travel through a wormhole that will take us right to Shinialyn."

"A wormhole?" Cid exclaimed. "How do you know there's even one nearby?"

"There doesn't have to be," Ellengio replied. "We can call one with the celestial summon materia."

"The what?" Cloud said.

"The celestial summon materia," Ellengio replied. "But I believe it is know by you as the black materia."

"Black materia?" Cloud exclaimed. "The one Sephiroth used to summon Meteor?"

"Yes," Ellengio said. "It's what Jenova uses to navigate through the universe. Sephiroth obviously got his from the first Jenova that came here. I searched Gongaga after we killed the Healer, but I never found the one he brought, and I suspect it was destroyed. So we're going to have to find the one that Sephiroth used. Which means.."

"We have to go back to the northern crater," Cloud finished.

Ellengio nodded.

"Indeed. From what you have told me, it could be quite dangerous. The residual mako energy from your battle with Sephiroth may have created some dangerous creatures. It might be wise to go there in force."

Cloud nodded.

"I think it's time we contacted the other members of Avalanche."


	10. The Northern Crater

CHAPTER X

THE NORTHERN CRATER

"How was the trip?" Aeris asked.

"A little chilly," Barret replied, wrapping his arms around both her and Tifa. "That ferry from the Canyon needs a better heating system. How are my two favorite ladies?"

"Fine," Tifa replied. Barret's squeeze wasn't quite as lung crushing as usual. "Hey Barret, you tired or something? I can still breathe."

Barret chuckled as he released them.

"Maybe I'm gettin' old," he suggested.

Behind them Yuffie scowled.

"Hey, aren't I one of your favorite ladies?" she questioned.

Barret looked back at her.

"Yeah, right, he replied. "But if it makes you feel better, you are my favorite pain in the ass."

"Gee Barret, you say the sweetest things," she responded, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Aeris' eyes turned toward the silver haired girl standing beside Yuffie.

"And who do have we here?" she asked.

"This is Amanda," Barret replied. "We ran into her, or she ran into me, a couple of days ago. She was running..."

"It's too cold to stand here and tell them the whole story," Yuffie interrupted, rubbing her arms and stomping her feet to stay warm. "Let's go up to the house. We can talk all we want about it there in comfort."

Barret grumbled for a moment at being interrupted, but he couldn't argue with her logic. Though the sky was clear today a cold wind was blowing in from the ocean.

"I suppose," he said gruffly. "We'd just have to end up repeating it for everyone else anyway."

They walked up the the road toward Lord Godo's house, Yuffie in the lead, obviously anxious to get out of the cold.

"You seem in an awful hurry," Barret observed. "I thought your father was mad at you."

Yuffie hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Um, well, I'm sure he's gotten over it by now," she replied. "He's not getting any younger, and his memory isn't what it used to be. Theres's a good chance he's forgotten all about it."

She glanced at Tifa and Aeris, who were looking at her with puzzled expressions.

"And it might be better if no one brought it up in front of him," Yuffie finished.

Tifa looked at Barret, but he just shrugged and gave her a 'don't ask' look.

They reached Godo's house soon after. The others members of Avalanche were gathered around a roaring fire in the main room.

"Bout time you showed up," Cloud commented as they entered. "Even Vincent got here before you."

"Hello to you too," Barret replied.

"Cloud," Tifa admonished. "You know Cid went and picked up Vincent and Elena in the Slipstream."

"The Slipstream?" Yuffie exclaimed. "Why couldn't he come get us?"

"I ain't your goddam personal transportation service," Cid snapped.

"Vicent was farther away," Aeris replied. "If he would have had to come get you too it would have taken even longer."

Everyone fell silent as they noticed Amanda, who was standing behind Barret.

"This is Amanda," Barret introduced her. He went around the room identifying everyone. He stopped at the young woman seated in from of a computer at a desk nearby.

"Lai Li," Red volunteered. "She's a linguistics expert."

Barret nodded in acknowledgement, then he told them how he and Yuffie had met Amanda, and what she had told them about her captivity.

"They were doing some kind of experiments on you?" Red said after Barret had finished the story.

"Yes," Amanda replied. "I don't know what their purpose was, though."

"I don't like the sound of this one bit," Cloud said grimly. "Seems too much like what Hojo was doing. Do you think someone could be continuing his experiments?"

No one answered for a moment. Tifa looked at Cloud sharply. Just mentioning the name Hojo brought chills to her spine. They had gone through so much, Cloud especially. Hojo had been back to haunt them once already, she couldn't even imagine how she would feel to have to face him again, or anyone twisted enough to follow in his footsteps. She had thought they were finished with Jenova as well, and look how wrong that had been! If they had to deal with Hojo once more, or someone like him, she didn't know whether she'd be able to stand it.

"I don't know," Red said finally. "They would have to find some living Jenova cells, and as far as I can tell, all that are left are accounted for. But you can't rule out the possibility altogether."

"Well, even if this had nothing to do with Hojo, it's obvious that these people are up to no good," Reeve said.

"Got that right," Barret agreed. "And to think it's happening in Corel is really what's gettin' to me. I'd really like to get to the bottom of this."

"Well, we'll be glad to help you," Aeris said.

"Indeed," Ellnegio spoke up. "But not right now. We have other things to take care of, things that have a greatter urgency, and are of concern to not only Corel, but the entire planet."

"Yeah," Barret replied, turning toward him. "What is this all about. Why did you call us all here?"

"Better sit down," Cloud commented. "This might take some time."

They made themselves comfortable, then Ellengio explained to the newcomers what he had already gone over with everyone else. When he had finished, Barret whistled.

"Damn, you weren't kidding when you said it was trouble for the whole planet. So you want us to all go there in Cid's rocket? Sounds hard to believe."

"That's what we all said," Tifa replied.

"That is the plan," Ellengio said. "But first we have to find Sephiroth's black materia. Without that, we cannot reach the Jenova system."

Barret shook his head slowly.

"This is all too weird for me," he said. "Here I thought we were finally done with this Jenova shit, and here we go again, not just fighting one, but going to a whole planet full of 'em! Who'da thought it? But if that's what it's going to take to finish this thing once and for all, then I guess I'm all for it."

"Good," Ellengio said approvingly. "Now we just have to get to the northern crater."

He looked at Cid.

"How soon will we be ready to go?"

"We're ready now," Cid replied. "We packed all the supplies we'll need in the Slipstream as soon as I got back with Vincent and Elena. We can't land in the crater, the lands too broken up from the battle and the eruption of Holy. The closest we can come is Holzoff's cabin. We'll have to start from there and go over the Gaea cliffs on foot. A days march over those cliffs this time of year ain't gonna be no picnic. But even if we leave now it'll be too late to start today, we'll have to spend the night at Holzoff's cabin and get an early start tomorrow."

Ellengio nodded.

"Excellent."

Barret looked at Amanda.

"You can stay here until we get back," he said. "Lord Godo will take good care of you."

"I want to go with you!" Amanda protested immediately.

"Where we're going ain't no place for a young girl like you," Barret stated. "It's going to be very dangerous. Don't worry, you'll be safe here."

"No," Amanda stated, extremely upset. "I don't want to stay here. I want to go with you. If I stay here I'll be afraid. They'll find me, I know they will."

Barret looked at her smypathetically.

"No one is going to hurt you," he said. "No one from Corel knows where you are. I'll tell Godo to see that his personal guard watches over you. You'll be safer with them than you were with me in Corel."

"I don't want to stay!" Amanda repeated, appearing on the edge of tears. "You're letting Yuffie go!"

"Much as I hate to admit it, but Yuffie is a trained ninja," Barret said, eyeing Yuffie for a moment. "And she's proven that she can take care of herself and even be a little bit useful in a fight."

"A little bit?" Yuffie exclaimed.

"They're after me, I know they are," Amanda pleaded. "Don't leave me behind, please!"

Barret stood there for a moment, just looking at her.

"Oh let her go," Yuffie suddenly chimed in suddenly. "She's been with us this long. I'll make sure she doesn't get into any trouble."

Barret hesitated, looking from one to the other. Suddenly Yuffie stepped forward and looked up at Barret.

"Puleeeeeez?" she said.

"Oh shut up!" Barret cut her off. He stood there in silence for a moment, then slowly turned to look at the others, obviously hoping for guidence.

"I suppose it would be alright," Ellengio said slowly. "At least to Holzoff's cabin. I'm sure anyone from Corel will not be able to find you there."

Barret looked back at Amanda again, then nodded curtly.

"Thank you," Amanda said.

Ellengio turned to Lai Li.

"And I suppose you'll want to come to?"

"Huh?" Lai Li said, obviously surprised by the question. Then she broke out into a grin.

"Sure!"

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Red questioned.

This time Ellengio hesitated.

"Not really," he said, his eyes still on Lai Li. "But maybe if she gets a hint of the kind of trouble we're going to be facing, she'll be a little less adamant about shooting off to another planet with us."

Lai Li frowned at him.

"Don't count on it," she said defiantly.

"All right already," Cloud stated. He looked around at all of them for a moment.

"What a crew," he muttered, but he had to admit it was good to see everyone together again. "Let's get going."

It took just over an hour to reach Mr. Holzoff's cabin. Just enough time for the sun to fade from the sky. They thought they had been cold in Wutai, but none of them were prepared for the fiece blast of freezing wind that struck them as soon as the door on the Slipstream slid open. Tifa paused for a moment to glance to the north. She could see the jagged peaks of the Gaea cliffs towering above them in the night. The wind blew straight down from them, whipping her hair and numbing any exposed skin in a matter of seconds. They had faced those cliffs one other time, and had survived, though Tifa was not fond of the memories. Summer never really came to these northern lattitudes, and the lower regions were only clear of snow for about two months a year, while up on the peaks, of course, the snow was eternal. When they had last been here it had been late spring, a time of renewal and rejuvination further south, though here it only meant that on most days the temperature would rise above freezing, and still they had just barely survived. But now they were here in early winter, when minus thirty to fifty degree temperatures were the norm, and an icy wind howled down the mountains almost constantly. Even now she could hear it, whistling through the cracked face of the cliffs above, like the mornful sound of a lost soul.

She shuddered and hurridly followed the others into the cabin.

* * *

Later that night Cloud lay awake staring at the ceiling. He felt restless, though he wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was this whole Jenova thing. This whole idea of flying off to another planet sounded like science fiction. To think that they might actually do it just boogled the mind. But Jenova had come here twice already, and if this was what it took to end this once and for all, he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity.

Or was it perhaps the fact that they were returning to the northern crater that was troubling him? Could it really be almost two years now since they had faced Sephiroth? He remembered it so vividly, as if it had been only yesterday. He remembered his steely determination as they had descended into that darkness, his utter conviction that they would make Sephiroth pay for all he had done, and that his payment would somehow make everything right, would make up for all the loss and suffering he had caused them.

But of course that hadn't been the case. Sephiroth had paid, but it didn't make up for all the suffering he had caused, it didn't make up for what he had done. Though Aeris had been returned to them, there were still many others who would never have that opportunity. Both he and Tifa had lost a parent to Sephiroth, and there was no bringing them back, nor any of the other people Sephiroth had killed on his mad rampage. They had all grown up during that mad pursuit of Sephiroth, he especially, but they had lost something as well. Somehow the closer they came to the place where the final battle had occured, the more acute he felt that loss.

He tilted his head and saw the familar form of Tifa sleeping beside him. The light of the moon filtered through the window, illuminating the room with a pale glow. Her brow was furrowed slightly, as if puzzled or perhaps disturbed by something. But her eyes were closed, and the slow rythmic movement of the blanket make it obvious she was sleeping peacefully. Her hair, unbound, lay scattered about her, like soft strands of silk glistening in the moonlight.

He lay there for a while just looking at her. Yes, he had lost a lot, they all had, but they had gained much too. If it hadn't been for Shinra there would have been no Avalanche, there would have no cause to unite him with all the friends he had made, no reason for he and Tifa to have stayed together after they met at the train station in Midgar...

He shook his head. After all the trouble Sephiroth and Shinra had caused, it seemed odd to think that without them, he might never have realized how much he loved the woman beside him. No matter how much evil they had caused, some good had come out of it after all.

He slippeed out of the bed, being careful not to wake her. Sleep seemed far away at this point, and there didn't seem to be much sense in laying there in bed.

The flickering of a fire met him when he entered the short hallway outside the room. He could hear the crackling of the flames plainly in the quiet around him. He walked into the main room and saw Zack sitting on a couch staring at the fire.

"You're up late," Cloud commented, coming up behind him. Though Zack had given no indication that he had seen Cloud, he showed no surprise when Cloud spoke.

"Just not tired I guess," Zack replied. He turned and glanced at Cloud.

"I could say the same for you."

Cloud sat down on the couch beside him.

"I couldn't sleep," he stated. "And I'm sure Ellengio is going to drag us out of bed at the crack of dawn. I'll be falling asleep climbing up those cliffs."

"I think the cold might keep you awake," Zack replied.

They fell silent. Zack's gaze remained focused on the fire. Cloud looked at him closely. He hadn't really had a chance to talk to his old friend since they had found out he was alive. Even now it seemed so strange seeing him again. For a time they had been almost inseperable, while they were training for SOLDIER. He had seen so much death that he had almost gotten used to it, and now to see his friend again seemed almost unreal.

"I never got to say thank you," Cloud said.

Zack did not turn toward him.

"You don't have to thank me for anything. It was you who bested Sephiroth at the reactor. You're the one who saved us."

"But you got us away from Hojo," Cloud answered. "I was completely out of it by that time. If it hadn't been for you, I'd never have escaped. You could have left me behind, in fact, your chances of getting away yourself would have been better if you had. But you didn't. You dragged me along, all the way to Midgar, and in the end it nearly got you killed."

Zack just shook his head.

"It was nothing," he said softly.

"No it wasn't," Cloud replied. "And then after Shinra found us, I still was so weak I couldn't lift a finger to help you. I was so out of it, I thought you were dead, Zack. I never would have left you if I had known..."

"Forget about it," Zack said sharply. "I don't blame you. There was nothing you could have done anyway. You would have just ended up getting killed yourself."

They fell silent again. The fire gave off a loud 'pop' and a burst of sparks shot up the chimney.

"You left your sword in Ifalnia," Cloud spoke after some time. "I brought it along."

"I don't want it," Zack said quickly.

Cloud's brow furrowed.

"Zack, the nothern crater is bound to be dangerous. Who knows what kind of mutations the radiation from holy formed when it burst through. We're going to need your help, and you can't help us without your sword."

"I told you I don't want it!" Zack exclaimed. "It's part of the legacy of the Swordsman. After what happened with Reeve, I don't think I can trust myself with it."

"Zack, nothing happened with Reeve," Cloud pointed out.

"But it could have!" Zack replied. "And maybe next time it will. Until I learn to control myself, I don't want to have it around. I'm afraid I've totally botched things up here, with Aeris, with everyone. But no more. I've been doing a lot of thinking. All this time I thought I loved Aeris, but I've just been thinking about myself. Whether intentionally or not, I've been trying to force her to chose between us, even though I know full well how that is tearing her apart. The truth is I've been playing with her sympathetic nature to try to gain an advantage. And stepping back and looking at it, the truth, the real truth, is that I just don't deserve her."

Cloud looked at him in surprise.

"So what are you saying," he resonded slowly. "That you think she should be with Reeve?"

Zack shook his head.

"I'm saying that it should be her choice, and I've been trying to force the issue. But not anymore. What I'm saying is I'm going to stay away from her. Let her make up her own mind. If what she said on the hill outside Gongaga was really true, that she really does love me, then I have nothing to fear. And if it wasn't, if it was just her way of trying to save me, then there's nothing at all that I can do about that, now is there?"

Cloud hesitated a moment, and saw that Zack was now looking directly at him. Cloud had to admit that everything that Zack was telling him rang true.

"No there isn't," Cloud agreed. He had been concerned that Zack might attempt to repeat the stunt up on the hill that day, but what Zack was saying reassured him. He had been worried about his old friend, almost as much as Aeris, and it made him feel just a little better that Zack finally seemed to be putting things together.

Suddenly Cloud yawned.

"Looks like I might be getting tired after all," he said, as they both got up. "I guess I'll head back to bed. We've got a big day ahead of us, and dawn is going to come awfully early."

* * *

"Rise and shine!" Barret's voice boomed though the house.

"Uggggh," Cloud moaned.

He felt someone shaking him.

"Leave me alone," he pleaded, wrapping the pillow over his head.

"C'mon, get up sleepyhead," Tifa said.

He peeked out from beneath the pillow. The first rays of the dawn were streaking the sky out the window.

"Damn, it's not even light out yet!" he protested. "What, are you in a rush to go out there and freeze to death?"

"Not me, but Ellengio and Red are," Tifa replied. "I wouldn't mind crawling back under the covers myself, but you know they're just going to bug the hell out of us all until we get up, so we might as well just get it over with."

Cloud stretched and pulled the blanket around himself.

"But I'm soooo comfortable," he stated.

"Just come on," Tifa replied. "I'm not too thrilled about this either, but the sooner we get started the sooner we'll get it over with."

Tifa slipped out of bed. Cloud tossed the pillow off his head and looked at her unhappily.

"I hate it when you're logical," he grumbled.

A short time later they were all gathered around the breakfast table. Cid and Yuffie had proven the hardest to get up, with Vincent and Zack practically having to drag Cid kicking and screaming from his bed. Yuffie proved a bit easier, but only because she was lighter. Barret handled her by himself, and had the bruises to prove it.

They started off about an hour later. Even so the sun was still low on the horizen, and gave off little warmth. The air was icy cold, but the wind seemed to have abated somewhat, with just an occasional gust blowing by to take their breath away.

For the next four hours they made their way arduously up the cliff face. The wind kicked up again after they were no more than a quarter of the way up, and they had to stop often in whatever shelter they could find to warm themselves up for the next exposed slope. The network of caves still honeycombed the mountain face, and they used these whenever possible, but for the most part, they had to follow the trail up. It was broken and though there were pennants left by previous climbers, they often led off into a dead end. None of them remembered the exact route they had taken up the slope almost two years ago, so it was not until late afternoon that they found themselves approaching the top.

"Let's take a break," Cloud suggested as they came upon a narrow split in the rock that marked the entrance to yet another cave.

"At this rate, we won't make it down into the crater until tomorrow," Ellengio commented, obviously not all that keen on the idea. They had been traveling steeply uphill all day long, and though Ellengio was easily the oldest among them, he didn't look particuarly tired. Cloud glanced at the others and saw he couldn't say the same for them. Yuffie and Amanda in particular had been falling farther and farther behind.

"What's your rush?" he asked. "It's obvious that some of us need a rest. It won't do much good to continue if people start to collapse."

Ellengio paused, looking at the others as well. Then he nodded.

"Of course."

They dragged themselves far enough into the cave to be out of the wind. Ellengio remained by the entrance, looking out and up as if he could carry them over the top by force of will alone. Most of the others plopped down on the floor, more concerned with getting off their feet than the cold stone beneath them. All except Vincent, who remained standing next to Elena in one of the darker corners.

Red lifted his head and sniffed the air.

"What an odd smell in here," he commented, looking at Nipala.

"I smell it too," she replied. "Some kind of animal, I'm sure, but I've never smelled it before."

"Is something in here?" Lai Li asked, looking around nervously.

"I don't know," Red stated. "The scent is faint, and could be very old. But perhaps we should take a quick look around before we get settled in."

Red, Cloud and Vincent walked further into the cave. The quickly disappeared from view in the darkness. The others sat in silence for perhaps ten minutes, though it seemed much longer, until they faded back into view.

"These caves must run far into the mountain," Cloud stated. "There are dozens of passages, all leading off in different directions. We didn't go too far because we didn't want to get lost, but it looks like whatever might have been in here is long gone."

The others accepted that answer.

"It's freezing," Yuffie complained. "Can we start a fire?"

There were no trees on the face of the mountain, but each of them had a few pieces of wood in their backpacks, brought along for just such an occasion. Cloud looked at Ellengio, who, again, did not seem all that thrilled with the idea, but finally he nodded.

Yuffie and a few of the others pulled the wood from their packs, and soon their was a merry little fire blazing on the floor of the cavern. They all huddled around it, and even Ellengio finally came over.

"As long as we've got a fire going," he said, "We might as well have something hot to eat. But after this, we don't take anymore long breaks."

"Fine," Yuffie said, when she saw the others had nothing to say. Tifa broke out the cooking gear and she, Aeris and Amanda soon had hot soup for everyone.

Yuffie greedily took the bowl Tifa handed her and sat back, inhaling deeply the steam rising off the soup.

"Ummm," she said contently as she cradled the bowl in her lap and picked up a spoon.

"There's something there!" came Vincent's sudden warning.

Yuffie looked up and got a glimpse of a serpentlike creature lunging toward her. With a cry of surprise she threw herself out of the way, her soup flying out of her lap. She felt something cold and slimy across her back, and then searing pain. She cried out and rolled across the floor out of the way.

There was a volley of shots. She felt something wet hit her face. She wiped her hand across it and it came away dripping a greenish goo.

"Oh gross," she muttered, but it was drowned out by the sounds of battle. She looked around to see her friends engaged with four of the creatures. The one that had attacked her lay on the floor nearby, the green goo oozing out of the holes Vincent had put in it with the Death Penalty. She could see Cloud and Zack combining to slice up another one, and not far away Red was clawing madly while Barret stood behind him, trying to get a shot in himself. She reached into her poach. Her back felt like it was on fire with every movement, but she ignored the pain and pulled out a green materia. She concentrated on it for a moment, and then the room was filled with light as fire flashed around them.

A few seconds later the battle was over, as abruptly as it had begun. The creatures hadn't been difficult to wipe out after they had gotten over their initial surprise.

"Everyone all right?" Cloud asked, looking around.

"I've been better," Yuffie replied, easing herself down to a sitting postion and gingerly trying to feel the damage that had been done to her back.

"Let me take a look at that," Aeris said, swiftly coming over to her.

Ellengio and Red were looking over one of the bodies.

"Ever see anything like that before?" Red asked.

The beast was large greenish colored insectlike creature, it's segmented body reminding Red of a centipede, but the sharp teeth in it's gaping jaw made it more than just a big bug. It was covered with a thin slimlike coating.

"These look like burns," Aeris commented, peering at Yuffie's back, a puzzled expression on her face.

Ellengio bent down and touched one finger to the slimy coating on the dead creature in front of him. Instantly he pulled back and wiped his hand off on his pant leg.

"They're secreting some kind of acid," he said slowly. "Don't anyone touch them."

There was a flash of green light as Aeris used a cure materia on Yuffie.

Lai Li looked around.

"You don't suppose there's any more of them around, do you?" she questioned.

Ellengio stood up and looked back into the darkness.

"No way to tell," he replied after a moment.

"Well, I for one don't want to stand around here waiting to find out," Cloud stated. "We've had our little rest. I think the sooner we get going the better. Yuffie, are you up to continuing?"

Yuffie nodded. The materia had reduced a burning pain to a mere discomfort. She looked down at the dead creatures scattered across the floor.

"Let's get going," she said. "All of a sudden, the freezing wind don't seem all that bad anymore."

"Wait 'til we've been walking in it for an hour, you might change your mind," Barret muttered as they filed their way back outside.

The wind was blowing stronger than it had been all day, and they were greeted at the entrance with an icy blast. On top of that, it had started to snow while they were inside, and now the air was filled with swirling flakes. Still, they made their way up the cliff with renewed vigor. But Barret's words proved prophetic. The trail up near the top was steeper than ever, and the sheer slopes around them provided no relief or respite from the wind that blew down directly in their faces. Soon the steepness of the slope had reduced their forward progress to a crawl. They struggled upward, heads bent as protection from the wind, only glancing up to find the next handhold. For nearly another hour they continued this way, while hands and feet, even beneath layers of protection, slowly became numb from the cold. The moved upward in single file, Ellengio in the lead. Cloud was right behind him, the slope so steep now they were nearly on their hands and knees. Cloud soon lost all track of what the others were doing, focusing just on Ellengio's form in front of him and putting one foot in front of the other. He glanced back a couple of times, but the snow was falling heavily now, and he couldn't see very far below. He looked and saw Tifa struggling up behind him. She glanced up at him and he saw her eyebrows were coated with white. He didn't know how far some of the others might have fallen behind.

"We can't go on like this much longer without a rest!" he shouted up to Ellengio.

Ellengio just kept on walking, the howling wind having blown Clouds words away. Cloud looked around, but the cliff face on all sides was a sheer drop. There was no place to stop here, even if they wanted to.

Cloud shook the snow off his hood and trudged on behind Ellengio. There was nothing for it now but to reach the summit. Only then would they be able to stop and regroup.

He didn't know how much longer the struggled up the mountain. He only knew that it seemed never ending. But just as he was about to suggest they stop to catch their breath out here in the open, he heard Ellengio call out.

"We're at the top!"

Cloud scrambled up a little ways more, and suddenly the slope flattened out in front of him. The snow was still falling heavily, but he could see far enough ahead to tell that they had indeed reached the pinnacle of the crater.

He stood beside Ellengio as the others pulled themselves up, grumbling and groaning. They had to wait and agnozingly long time until Yuffie and Amanda, the two stragglers, finally hauled themselves up on top.

"Gawd," Yuffie exclaimed. "I thought we were going to be climbing forever. So where's the bar and hotel? I need a rest."

"I'm afraid we've left both of those far behind," Ellengio responded seriously. "And this isn't over yet. We've still got to go down now."

"After all that, down will be a piece of cake," Yuffie stated confidently.

"Yeah, but just remember, all the down now will be up later," Barret pointed out.

"Thanks for reminding me," Yuffie said sourly.

"Well, we can rest here for a few minutes," Ellengio said. "But there's still no shelter, and I'm afraid it's not going to be comfortable standing out here in the middle of a snowstorm. I suggest we get going as soon as everyone feels they are able."

Yuffie stamped her feet and looked at the snow fallling around them.

"There's no sense in staying here," she stated. "Standing around here we're just going to freeze. Let's get going."

Ellengio walked over and looked at Amanda.

"Are you alright?"

Amanda nodded, though she was clearly exhausted.

"Yes, I can go on. Yuffie's right. We can't stay here."

Without another word Ellengio started leading them down into the crater.

At first the trail was as steep as before, and even though it was now downhill they still had to go slowly. The snow covered rocks were slippery and each step had to be tested before someone's full weight was placed upon it. Even so a number of times someone lost their footing and started sliding down the slope for a moment, but each time they were quickly steadied by the others around them.

But as they continued down the slope gradually became less steep, and as they became more sure of their footing their progress increased. Also, the swirling wind that had plagued them coming up the mountain seemed to be slackening. Even the snow appeared to be thinning out. It was almost as if the mountain had expended all of it's effort to prevent them from reaching the top.

The air around them began to clear, although the sky was still grey over their heads. The inside of the crater was a barren wasteland of jumbled snow covered rocks and boulders, completely trailess after the upheaval of holy. Almost as soon as they had entered the crater the sun, already hidden behind thick clouds, had been blocked out by the steep hills, leaving them in a kind of grey twilight, even though it was only late afternoon.

"It's going to get dark real early in here," Vincent commented. "We're not going to have a lot of time."

Ellengio nodded but said nothing. For what seemed like hours they traveled deeper and deeper into the apparently lifeless crater, picking their way among the rocks. There were no landmarks, and the jumbled rocks spread out uniformly all around them. There was no trace of the trail that had been there before holy had torn up the land, no sign of where they had battled Spehiroth. Cid sprang up onto a large rock and looked around slowly.

"The land has been completely changed," he stated. "There's no sign of the trail we followed when we were here, or the place of the final battle with Sephiroth. How are we supposed to find a small materia orb in this trackless landscape?"

"The black materia creates a small disturbance in the lifestream," Ellengio replied. "If we get close enough to it, Aeris or I should be able to detect it."

"It seems like we've been walking for hours," Yuffie complained. "Haven't you felt anything yet?"

Ellengio turned toward Aeris, who slowly shook her head.

"No," Ellengio replied. "I feel something is nearby, but I can't seem to get a clear impression. We'll just have to keep going."

Yuffie sighed and looked around. The mountainside to the left had been cut away where a huge boulder had been torn out. The place where it had once stood formed a shallow depression sheltered from the elements.

She pointed it out to the others.

"Well, if only you and Aeris can detect the materia, there ain't much use in us all running around out here, now is there? What say the rest of us take a little break?"

Ellengio turned toward her and for a moment it appeared he was going to snap at her, but then he reconsidered.

"I suppose it is kind of silly for us all to go trekking around in this trackless wilderness."

He looked around for a moment.

"I'm going to take a look in that direction."

"I thought the point of us all coming was to protect one another in case we're attacked," Tifa pointed out.

"Attacked?" Yuffie exclaimed. "Attacked by what? Look around you. There's nothing but barren rock for as far as the eye can see. There ain't nothing here that's a danger!"

"We don't know what could be hiding out there," Aeris said quietly.

Yuffie gave her a scornful look.

"What could live here?" she said comteptuously. "I'm telling you, this place is deserted."

Aeris stood looking around for a moment.

"I don't know," she said slowly. "I feel...something."

"What is it?" Cloud asked.

She stood there for a moment in silence, then shook her head.

"I don't know. It may be nothing at all. Just a feeling...that there's something here."

"You see that, it could be nothing at all," Yuffies said, as if Aeris had proven her point.

"I'm not about to dismiss Aeris instincts out of hand," Cloud replied. "She's been right more often than not. We don't all have to go, but Ellengio and Aeris shouldn't go wandering around by themselves. We'll split into groups."

He looked them over for a minute to see who seemed to be holding up the best.

"We'll cover more ground if Ellengio and Aeris separate. Tifa, Cid and I will go with Aeris. Red, you, Nipala and Vincent go with Ellengio. The rest of you stay here and make camp. We'll head off in opposite directions, and if we run into any trouble, we'll call and you can come help us out."

He waited to see if anyone would protest. Amanda looked at Barret and seemed about to say something, but she did not speak.

"Okay," Cloud said. "We'll circle around on each side of the crater and go as far as we can while the light still holds out. If anyone runs into anything suspicious at all don't hesitate to give a hollar. And don't anyone here in camp wander off by themselves," he finished, looking straight at Yuffie.

The young ninja looked pained at the implied accusation.

"Let's go," Cloud finished.

They slowly made their way westward, while Ellengio and his group went off in the opposite direction. Aeris walked in front, her eyes scanning her surroundings but not really paying attention, focusing instead on the flow of the lifestream. It was always there, in the back of her mind, surrounding everything and everyone on the planet. But to sense subtle changes in it, the kind she supposed the black materia would cause, she had to concentrate.

But what she sensed was very confusing. She felt dozens of fluctuations around her, all coming from different directions. They couldn't all be the black materia. So what were they?

She led them slowly off to the right, back uphill, toward where she felt the greatest concentration of the disturbance lay. A short time later they came upon a pit, a dark hole that suddenly seemed to open up in front of them, perhaps four feet wide filled with inky blackness. Aeris stopped and stared down into it.

"Don't tell me..." Cloud started, looking at her.

Aeris nodded.

"I'm afraid so," she replied. "The disturbance is focused down there."

"Great," Cloud muttered. He pulled off his backpack and fumbled through it for a moement, then pulled out a small flashlight. He shone it into the hole. It went straight down. Cloud peered in, but he could see no sign of the bottom.

"How aree we going to climb down that?" Tifa said, sounding as if she wished someone would say it was impossible and they could just leave.

"The sides are rough, with plenty of handholds," Cloud disappointed her. "It's also narrow enough so you can brace your back against the wall and shimmy down. I'll go first."

Cloud hesitated for a moment and looked at the others, who were all eyeing the hole dubiously. Then he eased himself down into it.

"Be careful," he heard Tifa say as he slowly he made his way down. The climbing was not difficult at all, the rough walls offering easy purchase for his hands, but it was difficult to see below him in the narrow confines of the vent. He went down for quite some time, and after a while he could make out solid ground below him.

He dropped the last couple of feet and found his feet landing in soft sand. He looked up, shining the flashlight above him. He had come farther than he thought. He could just make out a pale circle of light that was the opening above his head.

"I've reached the bottom," he shouted. "It's all right, you can come on down."

He heard the faint echo of a response, then he shone the flashlight around him. A narrow tunnel led away, barely large enough to walk through. There were no side passages. The floor of the cavern was covered with a grey gravelly sand.

He took a few steps down the tunnel, but then stopped, deciding he was better off waiting for the others. Slowly he unsheathed his sword. He ahd seen no indication of danger, but he felt uneasy, and Aeris instincts weren't the only one's he trusted.

Still, nothing disturbed the darkness around him until he heard the rustle of clothing and the scrap of boot against sand as the others reached the bottom of the vent.

"So where to from here?" Cid questioned, the glow of his cigarette standing out in the darkness.

"Only one way to go," Cloud replied, pointed down the tunnel. He looked at Aeris.

"Still feeling it?" he questioned.

"Yes," she replied. "Stronger than ever. Whatever it is, we're getting closer."

Cloud nodded and led them down the tunnel, Cid right behind, and Cloud noticed he had his spear at the ready. Hopefully what Aeris was feeling really was the black materia, and they would find it without any trouble, but the further along the tunnel they went the more his unease increased. Somehow he had a feeling it just wasn't going to be that easy.

The passage seemed to lead in a straight line, with no turnoffs. But it was uncomfortablly small, just barely allowing passage wtihout having to duck, and their arms scarped along the side walls occasionally from lack of space. It made all of them very uncomfortable.

Suddenly Cloud heard a strange humming noise. It took him an instant to realize that the sound was not a sound at all, but was inside his head. He turned to ask if anyone else felt it.

And Aeris screamed.

She staggered against the wall and fell to her knees, her hands clutching her head, her body convulsing involuntarily.

"Aeris, what's wrong?" Cloud cried out. One glance at the others, who were staring at Aeris much as Cloud must have been, convinced him that she was the only one affected.

"Oh God," she shouted. "My head! Make it stop, oh please make it stop!"

She tried to get up, but she seemed to have lost all control of her body, and she fell back instead. She lay on the ground, her body jerking spasmadically, while there others just stood there looking at her helplessly.

Tifa knelt down beside her and grabbed hold of her, but Aeris did not even seem to notice. He body continued to jerk, and she cried out again. Tifa looked up at Cloud with tears in her eyes.

"Cloud, what do we do?" she pleaded.

Cloud stood there for a moment, feeling sick to his stomach. Aeris was obviously in agony, but there seemed to be no danger around them. He flashed his light down the tunnel, but is was empty. He had no idea what was happening to her.

Aeris screamed again.

"Cloud!" Tifa shouted.

And Cloud ran. Down the tunnel, as fast as he could go. Whatever was happening, it had to have something to do with what she had felt, and what she had felt had to be down here somewhere. Something had to be causing this, and since it appeared it wasn't coming to them, then he would have to find it.

The tunnel was still narrow, making rapid movement difficult. He could still hear Aeris screams behind him, and it only made him force himself to go faster, ignoring the rocks that scraped against his hands and arms, drawing blood. There were no side tunnels, whatever was here had to be ahead, and he had to reach it before it hurt Aeris any more.

And suddely there it was, a huge bublous grey blob, moving slowly along the tunnel in his direction, filling the tunnel completely with it's bulk. A sudden reaking smell filled the air, almost causing him to gag. The creature seemed to have no head, and Cloud could make out no sense organs at all. The only distinctive feature was a large mouth filled with gaping sharp yellow teeth.

With a roar Cloud sprang forward, slashing with the Ultima weapon. The creature made no move to defend itself, indeed, it gave no indication it even knew Cloud was there. The sword slashed through it cleanly, opening it up, and suddenly a huge amount of brown liquid came pouring out of the wound.

Cloud ignored the blood, even as it splashed onto the floor around him, making him slip slightly as he drove forward, bringing the sword down again and again. Suddenly the humming sound in his mind changed to a high pitched whine, running up and down the scale. Cloud did not pause, bringing the sword down over and over, his only thought the total desturction of the beast in front of him.

And suddenly there was silence. He paused for a moment to look around him. He was standing ankle deep in brown gore, his sword, his clothing all covered. Of the creature he had been fighting there was not a single piece left large enough to be recognizable.

He stood there for a moment catching his breath, then started back to the others. When he reached them he saw Aeris sitting up, her back to the tunnel wall, looking pale but unhurt. They all looked at Cloud, still dripping with gore.

"I see you took care of it," Cid observed.

"Yeah," Cloud replied.

"What was it?" Tifa asked.

"Some kind of weird looking blob," Cloud answered. "Aeris, are you all right?"

Aeris nodded and forced a smile.

"Yes, thank you. I've never experienced anything quite like that. It was horrible. It was like when Quays used the supermateria to hurt the planet, but that had only lasted a moment, this went on and on..."

Tifa laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Well, it's all over now."

"Thank God," Aeris said.

"Do you still feel the fluctuation?" Cid asked.

Aeris shook her head.

"No, it's gone. It must have been that creature. I guess it can somehow cause it's own disturbances in the lifestream, though I've never heard of that happening before."

"Who knows what kind of strange creatures were created by the radiation from holy," Cloud said. He looked around and took a deep breath.

"Well, looks like this was a wild goose chase. I guess we better get back to the surface. Are you up to it?"

Aeris stood up slowly, then nodded.

They made their way back the way they had come. Climbing back up the vent was not difficult, even for Aeris in her weakened condition. When they reached the top they found Ellengio, Red, Nipala and Vincent waiting for them.

"What happened?" Ellengio said. "I felt something in the lifestream. Something unpleasent."

Aeris explained what had happened to them down in the vent. Ellengio stood there thoughtfully for a few moments after she was done.

"Interesting," he said. "A creature that can use the lifestream as a weapon. I've never heard of anything like that before. It was lucky for you the others were with you."

"Yeah," Tifa replied. "For once I don't feel so bad about not being able to feel the lifestream myself."

"But what are we going to do now?" Nipala said. "Apparently this creature mimics the disturbance caused by the black materia. If there are more of them around, how are we going to know that it's not another one of those creatures next time you feel a distubance?"

"I don't know," Ellengio said. "It's possible there was only one of these creatures, in which case we should have no more problems. But until we know for sure I think it might be best if we all stay together."

"Well, we better get going then," Vincent said. "It's getting darker by the moment."

They started off again, with Ellengio in the lead. Aeris followed the others slowly, still not completely healed from the encounter, but knowing things could have been a lot worse.

"I suppose the creature lured things sensitive to the lifestream into it's cavern and then incapacitated them with some kind of lifestream mind blow while it came to feed," Red mused as they walked along. "It obviously was expecting a helpless prey, and had no weapons with which to defend itself against an active enemy. What an intriguing creature, I would be interested in studying it."

"Some other time, perhaps," Cloud muttered.

"Of course," Red replied. "I did not mean now. We have much more urgent business to attend to at the moment."

"I think I feel something off this way," Ellengio said suddenly.

He turned to the left and started to pick his way over the rocks. A few moments later he stopped and looked down at his feet.

"Aha," he said.

The others came up beside him and saw a dark pit in the ground.

"Not again," Tifa groaned, glancing toward Aeris.

Ellengio looked down at the pit in front of them.

"It appears to be identical to the previous one," he commented.

Cloud shook his head.

"These things could be all over the place," he said in disgust. "There could be dozens of them, hundreds. We might never find the black materia."

"Not so fast," Red said thoughtfully. "You're assuming these pits are made by the creatures, as some sort of lair, and it seems highly reasonable to me to suppose that is true, but that information could actually end up helping us."

"How do you mean?" Cloud asked.

"Assuming each pit is a lair for one of these beasts, then everytime we follow a disturbance and it leads to a pit, we'll know we've run into one of the creatures."

"So?" Cloud asked. He did not see any point to this.

"So," Red continued. "But what if we follow a disturbance and it doesn't lead to a pit?"

"Then that'll be the black materia!" Cid concluded.

"Exactly," Red replied.

Cloud's face immediately brightened at that prospect.

"All right then," he said. "But let's hurry. Like Vincent said, it is getting late.

Once again they started off, moving as rapidly as they could through the broken land. Many times either Ellengio or Aeris detected something around them, and everytime it lead them to another one of the pits. And with each false trail the light around them faded a little bit more.

After nearly twenty such journeys they barely had light enough to see the ground in front of them, and Ellengio was thinking that soon they would have to quit for the night, but finally they followed one disturbance and found themselves standing not in front of a dark pit, but instead a jumbled pile of boulders.

"Do you suppose there could be a pit underneath those rocks somehow?" Cloud ventured.

Ellengio shrugged.

"I suppose it's possible, but all the others were right out in the open."

"Well, let's check it out," Vincent said.

"Can you find it in there?" Cloud asked.

"The disturbance is a general thing," Ellengio replied. "We can't pinpoint it exactly. I'm afraid from here on in we'll have to rely on our eyes."

They started walking slowly among the rocks, looking at the ground, sifting and pushing aside rocks as they went. For nearly twenty minutes they combed the area, when suddenly Nipala called out.

"I've found something!"

The others hurried over to see her pawing something on the ground. Ellengio bent down to pick it up and the others immediately saw that it was not a materia orb.

"What is it?" Tifa questioned.

Ellengio held it out for them all to see.

An old and very dented cigarette lighter.

"Hey," Cid exclaimed. "I wondered what happened to that!"

Ellengio looked at him.

"This is yours?"

"Sure is. I had it for years," Cid replied. "See," he said, pointed to the faded image on the side of the lighter, "it's the same picture I had painted on the side of the Highwind."

Cloud squinted and looked closer. It was indeed the same bikini clad woman.

"So this is where we must have fought!" Tifa exclaimed, suddenly excited.

"Yes," Red said. "Which makes it appear that we may be on the right track. C'mon everyone, keep looking!"

They got back to work, all of them invigorated by the find. And in fact, it was no more than fifteen minutes later when Vincent suddenly pulled a dark object up out of the stones beneath his feet.

"I found it," he said.

The others ran over to him as he held out the dust covered jet black ball.

"We did it," Cloud said, his breath coming out in a sudden gasp. He looked around to see grins on the faces of everyone else, except Vincent, of course.

"I can't believe it," Tifa muttered.

"Neither can I," Nipala agreed.

"Yes!" Cid exclaimed.

Ellengio took the materia from Vincent and stared at it for a moment.

"So this is the black materia," he said softly. "Hard to believe such a small thing can hold so much power. Good job, everyone. And now I think it's time we got back to camp."

"Yeah, the others are probably fit to be tied by now," Cloud said.

"It will be nice to get back to camp and get a little rest," Tifa said. "I fell like I've been walking for weeks."

"Me too," Cloud said. He looked up at the dark rim of the crater far above them. "But it's not over yet. Tomorrow we've still got to climb back up out of here. The journey is only half over."

Tifa stood beside him and looked up as well.

"Don't remind me," she replied.


	11. The Intruder

CHAPTER XI

THE INTRUDER

Since the fall of Shinra Wutai had become a congested city. And the market district was the most congested part of that congested city. Stretching from the docks to nearly downtown, the market district covered almost a fifth of the entire city. Since the opening of the harbour and the airport, commerce had exploded, and businesses from all over the world were scrambling to find storefronts and offices along the streets of the district, streets that these days were constantly crowded with traffic. Wutai seemed a city of infinite opportunity, and as such drew people of all trades like a magnet. It was a place where an honest businessman could make a tidy profit, and a not quite so honest businessmen, if he was clever, could do even better.

Altim had been following the group of tourists for almost an hour now. Since the establishment of the ferry service, Wutai had seen an increase in it's tourist trade as well as commerce. Large groups were always departing from the ferry to wander around the town, gawking at the unique architeture of the city and the towering figures carved in the mountains overlooking it. Altim already had his mark picked out, an older man in a grey suit and baggy matching trench coat. He was accompanied by a young woman. The couple had probably not been here before, for they stopped a number of times to look at the sights, and the woman was constantly pointing at buildings and dragging the man over for a closer inspection.

The fact that they were new in town wasn't the only reason he had singled them out, however. They seemed singularly inattentive to the people around them. Altim had been following them for quite some time now and neither one had so much as glanced back at him. They had gone into a couple of shops already and the man had purchased the woman a few baubles, some of them rather expensive. Altim had stood right behind them on one such occasion and had seen that the man had quite a wad of gil with him, kept in the right hand pocket of the trench coat.

Down at the end of the street the Pagoda of the Five Gods came into view, towering above the other buildings. The couple saw it and starting down the road. Altim glanced at his watch and followed, closing in so he was walking directly behind them. All he needed was a little distraction. Ordinarly, that would be provided by a partner, but Shue was busy elsewhere, and Altim liked to work alone. It provided more of a challenge, and was subsequently more satisfying when he succeeded.

He glanced at his watch one more time. In a few moments the distraction would be provided for him.

Right on cue the sound of the enourmous gong stationed in the house beside the temple reverberated down the street, startling everyone who was unaware that the gong rang out the hour in the temple square. Both the man and the woman looked up, the woman gripping the man's arm. At almost the same instant Altim's hand slipped into the pocket of the man's coat.

A moment later he was walking away, the man's gil safely stored away in his own pocket now. The couple behind him relaxed, unaware that anything out of the ordinary had taken place, and continued down the street toward the temple.

Altim looked around, making sure he hadn't drawn the attetion of one of the many members of Wutai's plain clothed security force. The tourists who came here might be unaware of the danger of theives, but the city of Wutai certainly wasn't. It wasn't exactly a boon to the tourist trade to have people robbed, and since Wutai still depended heavily on tourism, they were always on the lookout for light fingered people. But no one seemed to have noticed him.

He sat down on the stoop of a small clothing store and counted his 'earnings'. Almost five hundred gil. Not bad for an hour's work, but he knew there was a lot more where that came from.

He stood up again, scanning the crowd for another potential mark. His eyes fell on a large group of people working their way through the crowd. They were led by a blonde man with a huge sword strapped to his back. Beside him walked a black man that towered head and shoulders over most of the others in the crowd. And next to them was a woman, with long brown hair that fell past her waist. He studied her for a moment, sure he had seen her someplace before, and then his eyes widened. He instantly stood up, trying to get a better view, but the crowds around him got in the way, and he didn't get another clear view until they were past him. But even so, he felt his heart suddenly beating faster when he caught a glimpse of a chestnut haired girl near the back of the group.

He slipped into the crowd, following as best he could. A couple of times he thought he lost them, but each time he managed to spot them again. He was catching up.

The crowds started to thin out, and he could see the party plainly now, although they were still walking away from him, and he could not see their faces. Yet he was absolutely certain it was her.

He trotted to catch up, then stopped as he saw them turn and enter Lord Godo's residence. He slowly walked up to the entrance, eyeing the guards standing by the doors, who eyed him in return. After a moment he turned and started back down the street.

Didn't seem likely he could just walk in the front door. It had been a long time, he didn't even know if she would remember his name.

Aeris...

Not that he could ever forget hers. That night he had met her on the road, and saved her from his fellow theives, was a moment he would never forget for as long as he lived. He had thought about her constantly since they had parted ways, wondering if he would ever see her again.

He turned the corner and headed back up the street until he was directly behind Godo's residence. There was a large garden area backing Godo's house surrounded by a low stone wall. A guard stood at the entrance to this as well. He walked slowly along the wall, watching the guard until the man looked the other way, then he quickly slipped over the wall. He found himself surrounded by tall elm trees and thick well manicured shrubs. There was a patch of purple flowers to his left, the only plant producing flowers this late in the year. He saw no one.

He made his way quickly toward the house. The garden was not guarded, except for the man he had seen at the entrance. He reached the back of the house, stealthly checking the windows to see if any could get him inside, but all were secured. Through one window he saw the group of people he had followed, and he quickly ducked out of the way.

He looked up, scrutinizing the upper floors and the roof. Perhaps there would be a way in up there. He walked over to a wooden latticework he had seen earlier. and grabbed hold of it, testing his weight. It didn't look strong enough to hold a grown man, but Altim had always been light of frame. Deciding that it would do, the quickly scampered up onto the roof. The upstairs windows were closed too, but the latch on one was unsecured. In a moment Altim was inside the building.

He found himself in a bedroom. He stood there for a moment listening for any sound, but he heard nothing. Then he walked slowly over to the door. There was a table and dresser in the room, both containing intricately carved ivory statues and other obviously expensive items, but Altim did not touch them. It was one thing to pick the pockets of some tourists in the city, it was quite another to steal from Lord Godo's residence itself. Just being here, if he was caught, could get him sentenced to death. Hopefully he could get in and out without being noticed. It he took something along with him, the city guards would be combing the streets to find the one who did it.

He opened the door to the bedroom a crack and peered out into the hallway. It was deserted. He stepped out into it and walked cautiously down the hall. He could hear faint voices coming from downstairs.

He reached the staircase and made his way down. It led into a room that looked like a large study. There was a mahogany desk near the entrance, with a computer perched on it. Altim walked over to the door. He could hear the voices plainly now.

"It's absolutely out of the question," Barret's voice boomed.

"But I don't want to be left behind," Amanda pleaded. "They'll find me here."

"I told you you'll be safe," Barret said. "No one from Corel knows you're here."

"You don't know that!" Amanda shot back.

Barret rolled his eyes.

"All right, maybe I don't, but I do know that you'll have plenty of protection here. More than you would have in Corel."

"I don't care," Amanda replied. "I don't trust them. I trust you. Besides, I don't want to stay here while you all go. You're the only friends I have!"

"Amanda," Barret said, rather impatiently. "It's one thing to run off with us to the northern crater, it's quite another to be shooting off into space to another planet. We don't know what we're going to have to face, don't know what dangers we'll meet. But we're certain to run into Jenova again. We've fought Jenova before, we know how dangerous it can be. It's no place for a young girl like you."

"I'm not that young!" Amanda exclaimed.

"You're just a kid, for chrissake!" Barret retorted.

"C'mon, Barret, give her a break," Yuffie interjected. "She's just about the age I was when I went off on my own."

"You stay out of this!" Barret snarled at Yuffie. She shut her mouth, surprised for a moment by his vehemence.

"This isn't some picnic we're going on here," Barret continued. "There's a good chance that none of us are going to return. I'm not going to be responsible for a young girl losing her life because of some whim."

"It's not a whim!" Amanda said.

"Hey, you got some nerve talking to me like that!" Yuffie exclaimed, recovering.

Barret stopped for a minute and looked at the both of them.

"It's too dangerous!" he repeated.

"Well, if that's the case, then why do you have to go at all?" Amanda tried. "Why can't you just stay here and leave Jenova to it's own planet?"

"You know why," Barret retorted. "You were here for Ellengio's little lecture. It's the only way we can guarentee that Jenova will never return to this planet."

"I know that," Amanda replied. "But even if Jenova does return, it might not be for thousands of years. By then, we might have come up with a simple way to defeat it. Why does it have to be now?"

"We don't know what the future holds," Ellengio said. "But we do know we have the capacity to make the attempt now. If we do not, then perhaps what you say is true, and in the future we will have weapons that Jenova will not be able to withstand if it returns, but we don't know that. For all we know, the next Jenova that comes here could be more powerful than any other, and we might not be able to defeat it at all. Given the opportunity, we have to take the chance."

"So take me with you!" Amanda said. "I can help you, I know I can!"

They stood there silently for a moment. Most of the others looked skeptical.

"C'mon, Barret, give her a chance," Yuffie tried again.

"I told you to stay out of this!" Barret growled.

"You can't tell me what to do," Yuffie retorted, getting angry.

Barret turned toward her.

"Like we should take your advice!" he spat out. "We all know how responsible you are. She's just a kid. How would you feel if we took her along because you talked us into it and something happened to her?"

"Nothing going to happen to her," Yuffie said, a little less firmly.

"You don't know that," Barret replied.

"I'll keep an eye on her," Yuffie said.

"Oh, that's reassuring," Barret replied sarcastically.

"Barret, I'm not an irresponsible little kid anymore," Yuffie said acidly.

"Then quit making decisions like one," Barret retorted.

Yuffie stepped forward.

"I don't have to take that from..."

"Now, now," Ellengio said calmly, stepping in between them. "There's no reason for this to degenerate into a brawl. I'm sure we can come to a decison rationally."

"Not with those two here," Elena commented.

"Well, what do the rest of you think?" Barret said, looking around. "Do you want to responsible if something happens to this kid?"

"I'm not a kid!" Amanda exclaimed again.

Barret just gave her a dark look, then turned to the others.

Ellengio walked over to Amanda.

"I understand the way you feel," he said in a concillatory tone. "It's difficult to be left behind when all your friends are going. But I'm afraid I have to agree with Barret. This is no place for a young girl like yourself. It would be better if you did not come."

Amanda looked ready to burst into tears. She looked at the others, but from their silence it was apparent that they agreed. She looked at Yuffie, who put a reassuring hand on her shoulder but said nothing.

Ellengio suddenly turned toward Lai Li.

"And that goes for you too," he said.

Lai Li hestitated for a moment.

"I think I'm old enough to make my own decisions," she replied cooly.

"That may be true, but that doesn't mean it's your decision to make. The fact still remains that this is very dangerous, and we don't want to put anymore people in danger than is absolutely necessary."

"So how many people are necessary?" Lai Li questioned.

"I don't know," Ellengio replied. "As few as possible, I suppose. No one here is being forced to come, and if anyone wishes to remain behind he or she has my blessing."

He paused for just a moment, but of course, no one said anything.

"All the others here have fought Jenova already and they all have a stake in the outcome of this."

"So do I," Lai Li countered. "If what you say is true, Jenova is a threat to me as well. To everyone on this planet in fact. This mission is just as important to me as it is to any of you."

Ellengio shook his head.

"I don't think it's a good idea, and I don't see any reason to start this argument all over again."

"Wait a minute," Cloud spoke up. "I agree that we shouldn't bring anymore people than necessary, but like she said, we don't know how many that will be. And besides, what about the language thing? Lai Li said a translator might come in handy on another planet, and I tend to agree."

Red spoke up for the first time.

"So you think she should come along?"

Cloud did not reply for a moment, looking at Lai Li, who calmly returned his gaze. She hadn't been involved in any of the fighting in the northern crater, but she had done as well on the Gaea cliffs as any of them. She had kept her mouth shut and done as she was told, and though he knew she had been scared in the cave when those creatures attacked, she had kept her head and not paniked, and she hadn't done anything foolish like get into the fight when she knew it was better left to others. And besides that, there was just something in the way she was looking at him...

"I think it should be up to her," he said finally.

"So she gets to go and I don't?" Amanda cried out.

"Nobody said she's going along," Ellengio replied.

"Yes you did," Amanda countered. "Cloud said so, practically. How come she gets to go and I don't?"

"Amanda, it's different," Nipala offered. "She's older than you and she has a lot of expertise that can be helpful to us. I know it sounds like we're picking on you, but we're really just looking out for your best interests."

Amanda looked around, tears in her eyes. Everyone looked sympathetic, but it was obvious that no one was going to come to her defense. She looked at Yuffie, who just shrugged disgustedly.

"It's not fair!" Amanda cried out and ran from the room.

They stood in silence for a moment. Yuffie gave them all a smoldering look.

"Jerks," she muttered, then ran off after Amanda.

Ellengio shook his head slowly.

"I don't think either of them should go," he reiterated.

"So you don't think that Lai Li's abilities with languages could come in handy?" Red asked.

Ellengio looked at Lai Li once more, his gaze thoughtful. He hesitated for a moment.

"I suppose," he conceded finally. "I just have a bad feeling about her coming along."

"I have a bad feeling about the whole project," Cid stated.

"Well, enough of this," Tifa said. "What say we all sit down and have some lunch? Maybe people will be a little more reasonable after we've had some time to think about this."

No one objected, and they all retired to the kitchen while Godo's personal chef whipped them up some food. Yuffie came in as they were being served. She sat down and ate her food silently, glaring at everyone, but Barret in particular.

"Yuffie, it's for her own good," Aeris tried to make peace.

Yuffie just snorted, obviously not in any mood to accept peace.

"Well, we're not leaving for two weeks, right?" Tifa said. "There's no reason we have to make this decision now, is there?"

"Yes there is," Cid replied. "We have to have some idea how many people are coming so we can bring the proper amount of supplies and fuel. The sooner we make the decision, the better."

"As far as I'm concerned the decision has been made," Ellengio stated. "Let's just leave it at that."

They fell silent again. Yuffie left the table as soon as she was finished eating. She went into the kitchen, then walked upstairs with a plate of food. Ellengio excused himself soon after.

"I really hate doing this to Amanda," Tifa said.

"I know," Cloud replied. "But you have to admit Barret is right. She has no place coming with us."

"I know," Tifa replied. "I just...fell bad."

"We all do," Cloud responded.

Slowly casual converstation started to break out again. When they finished their meal Lai Li started back to the study. Vincent and Elena came up behind her.

"I'd like to take a look at the computer translation of the book," Vincent said.

"Sure," Lai Li replied. She enjoyed it when others took an interest in her work, though she was kind of surprised that Vincent would ask. He didn't really seem like the type.

"Looking for anything in particular?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "Just how much of it have you read yourself?"

"Not much," she replied. "I didn't really have time to take a good look at it before we left for the northern crater. And Ellengio was kind of hogging it before that. I can't wait to sit down and read the whole thing."

"Uh huh," Vincent replied rather absently.

"Why do you want to look at it anyway?" Elena asked.

Vincent just shook his head.

Elena stopped suddenly.

"Fine," she said angrily. "If you don't want to tell us, then don't. What the hell, you never say anything anyway. Go ahead, keep your little secrets. You can rot with them as far as I'm concerned!"

Elena stormed off down the hallway, leaving Lai Li opened mouthed, staring at Vincent, who just stood there, his face expressionless. He watched Elena until she vanished up the stairs, then turned to Lai Li.

"What brought that on?" Lai Li questioned.

Vincent shrugged.

"She's been acting very strangely lately," he replied. "Shall we go?"

Lai Li gave him an odd look, then turned and walked into the study. She sat down in front of the computer and turned it on. Vincent stood silently behind her as the program loaded. When it was done Lai Li tapped a few keys. She stopped, then tapped a few more, a frown creasing her brow.

"What the..." she mumbled.

"What?" Vincent said.

"Something's wrong," she said slowly. "I can't find the translation."

"What?" Vincent repeated.

Lai Li continued to tap the keys, more quickly now.

"I can't find the translation," she repeated. Her fingers ran over the keyboard a few minutes more. Then she stopped and stared at the computer.

"It's gone," she stated, disbelief plain in her voice.

"The translation?"

"Yes," she said. "I can't access it. The file it was in is gone. It got erased somehow, and I can't even bring it back."

"Erased?" Vicnent said. "Can that happen accidently?"

"Perhaps," Lai Li said. "But there should be something left. If it was an error on the hard drive I should be able to recover it, or at least pieces of it. But there's nothing left. It's completely gone, as if it had never existed. I don't see how that could have happened by accident."

Vincent looke at the computer for a few moments.

"I suppose we should tell the others," he observed.

"I suppose so," Lai Li exclaimed. She got up to get them, and a few minutes later most of the others were gathered around her and Vincent as she explained the situation.

"So we have no translation of the book at all?" Reeve questioned.

"Speaking of the book, how is..." Cloud said, turning toward Ellengio.

"It's safe," Ellengio replied. "It was the first thing I checked."

"No we don't," Ellengio continued, turning toward Reeve.

"So we've got to rescan the book into the computer?" Tifa said, looking none to thrilled with the idea.

"That won't be necessary," Ellengio replied. "Actually, it's not as bad as it seems. We still have the book, and now that we know how to translate it I can do it myself. Technically, we really don't need the computer at all anymore. I'm more concerned with what happened to the computer file."

"It must have been erased intentionally," Lai Li replied. "There's no other explanation."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Zack said. "Who would do something like that?"

"I don't know," Ellengio stated. "But it don't like it. Someone must have snuck in here, probably while we were at the northern crater. Apparently someone else has an interest in what we are doing. And we have no idea who they may be or what their purpose is. Whatever else happens, we're going to have to be more careful. It might have just been luck that the person who did this did not get their hands on the book as well. I'll have to keep a close eye on it."

"So what do we do now?" Zack asked.

"I don't think they is really anything more we can do," Ellengio replied. "Unless we can find out who did this, and whoever it was is probably long gone by now, there isn't much we can do. I couldn't even begin to speculate why someone would do this, or if this person will try to interfere with our plans. Cid, you said two weeks. Can we launch any sooner?"

"I'll have to get back to Rocket Town and see," Cid replied. "Even if we can launch early, it won't be more than a day or two, and if we have any problems, it might take longer."

"All right," Ellengio replied. "I can finish making what preparations need to made here today, and we can head for Rocket Town tomorrow morning. We'll tell Godo about what happened here, and see if he can find out anything about who might have done this. It could be that this could work to our advantage. Whoever did this didn't really do us any harm, and at the same time tipped his hand. Now at least we will be on guard in case he tries something else. The rest of you can go back to your homes, or come to Rocket Town as you choose. We have about two weeks to get everything in order before we launch."

* * *

Elena sat looking out the window, tears in her eyes. She really hadn't meant to snap at Vincent, but now that she had done it she was glad she did. All this time she had been patient, but how patient could one person be? All this time she thought that she could eventually get through to him, break down the barriers that he had so carefully erected around himself. But now she was begining to realize that would never happen, that it had all been for nothing, that she was just wasting her time. He would never let her in, he would never trust her, and without that, what did they really have?

It felt so good when he held her in his arms. She could see the love in his eyes sometimes, she just knew she could. But instead of finding enjoyment in it, basking in it, he treated it as some kind of disease, something unnatural, something that had to be erradicated. She could understand, she really could. Everytime he had loved, anytime there had been anything precious in his life, it had been torn from him. She knew it would be hard for him to love after that, after he had given it up, removed it from his life. But that was no way to live. She knew that, and deep down inside she had thought he did too. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn't reach him. And after what Vernon had told her...she just didn't know what to believe anymore. It seemed like even the little she know about him was a lie.

Even now it wasn't too late. Would it be so hard for him to come and talk to her? She had made it obvious how upset she was. Maybe this would be best. Maybe if she walked away, he might realize just what he was losing. Perhaps even now, before it was too late, before the damage was irreparable, he would come to her. She would be happy with just that little sign that he cared!

She put her hand over her mouth and choked back a sob.

Who was she kidding? He had had so many chances to talk, so many opportunites to show how he felt, but he had sqaundered them all. She had seen his face before she walked away. No shock, no worry, nothing at all. It had probably barely registered to him that she had left. The possibility that she might just need some comforting probably hadn't even entered his mind.

"Elena."

Elena took a deep breath, but did not turn around. That was not the voice she wanted to hear.

"Elena," Aeris said again, coming up beside her.

Elena turned away.

"Go away."

Aeris did not move.

"I was standing in the hallway," she said. "I heard what you said to Vincent."

Elena still did not look at her. She didn't want anyone to see her like this, least of all Aeris. The last thing she needed was a lecture from little miss goody two shoes.

"Leave me alone."

"Look, I know we haven't been the best of friends," Aeris said. "If our personalities are incompatable, well, I can accept that. But I just want you to know that I don't think of you as an enemy. If there's anything I can do for you..."

Elena shook her head.

"There's nothing anyone can do. It's my own problem," she said forlornly.

"It doesn't have to be," Aeris said. "Maybe I can talk to Vincent for you."

Elena suddedly turned toward her.

"You stay away from him!"

Aeris took a step back and looked at Elena in surprise.

"Umm...sorry, it was just a suggestion," she stammered.

Elena turned away again, embarrassed and angry at the same time. She hadn't meant to show such anger, but didn't want Aeris anywhere near Vincent.

"Just stay out of it, okay," she said in a calmer voice.

"Of course, if you wish," Aeris relied slowly. She didn't understand why Elena had responded like that to her suggestion. "I just wanted to let you know that if you needed to talk to anyone, you could. Whatever you want to say, I'll understand."

Elena turned toward her again, and slowly stood up, the anger welling up inside her again.

"Understand? How could you possibly understand? What could Miss Perfect know about what I'm going through? Every guy you've ever met has practically fallen at your feet in worship! You walk into a room and every eye follows you. The men stumble over themselves to be near you, to talk to you. You don't give anyone else a chance! You don't know what it's like to have to struggle to get a man to notice you. You don't know what it's like to have a man who you care for deeply completely ignore you! You don't know what it's like to feel so strongly about someone that you know you can never live without them, and have that person totally ignore you for someone who doesn't give a damn about him at all! How could Tseng..."

She stopped and turned away guickly, overwhelmed by embarrassment. She hadn't meant to say that. The last person in the world she wanted to tell her troubles to was this girl in front of her now, and yet here she was, blurting everything out like a child. How could she be so weak? Maybe Reno was right about her. She didn't deserve to be a Turk. It seemed that everything in her life was slowly falling apart.

"Just leave me alone," she said, her voice choked.

Aeris stood there in silence, totally unprepared for Elena's outburst. She had no idea that Elena felt that way, or that she had felt so strongly about Tseng. This went a long way towards explaining things.

She was tempted to say that Elena was wrong, that she did undestand what it was like to lose someone to another person. She had been hurt when Cloud had chosen Tifa, she couldn't deny that. But she didn't think Elena was in much of a mood to listen.

"I'm sorry," Aeris said.

Elena did nor reply, just sat there on the couch, facing towards the window. Though she was trying mightily to hide it, Aeris could tell she was crying.

"I'm sorry," Aeris said again, then turned and walked out of the room.

She found the others quickly. They were gathered in the study, standing around the computer.

"I guess we'll come with you to Rocket Town," Cloud was saying. "With the bar gone, there really is no reason for Tifa and me to return to Kalm."

"I might as well go to Rocket Town too," Barret said. "Might be best to keep Amanda out of Corel before we leave. Don't want anyone picking up her trail again, especially if I'm not gonna be there."

"Well, I've got to get back to Ifalnia," Reeve stated. "I want to try ot get Cait working again before we leave. Who knows, a robot may come in handy up in space."

"Fine," Cloud said, "But just make sure he behaves himself."

"Don't worry," Reeve replied. "I'll make sure there are corrections to his circutry that will prevent a repeat of that last incident."

Cloud turned and noticed Aeris walking toward them.

"We were discussing what to do while waiting for the launch," he said to her. "Are you going back to Ifalnia?"

Aeris ignored him and walked right up in front of Vincent. He looked at her impassively.

"You are such a jerk!" she exclaimed, then turned and walked quickly out of the room.

The others all stared at Vincent in silence. For a long time no one said anything.

"What the hell was that?" Cid finally blurted out.

They were all still staring at Vincent. Finally he shrugged and without a word walked out of the room himself.

Cloud turned and looked at the others, and it was plain from the expressions on their faces that they didn't have anymore of a clue than he did.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't know what the hell is going on!"


	12. Countdown

CHAPTER XII

COUNTDOWN

"Let's get married."

"Huh?"

"Let's get married," Cloud repeated.

Tifa looked at him and smiled.

"We're going to," she said.

"No, I mean now."

"Now?" she repeated. They were sitting at the kitchen table at Cid's house. Tifa had just finished helping Shera clean up after dinner. "You mean, right this minute?"

"Uh huh."

She stared at him for a moment.

"You're serious," she said slowly.

Cloud nodded.

"It's been a while, and we never set a date," he pointed out.

"Well, we've been so busy," Tifa replied. She looked at him with interest. This wasn't something she would have expected from him. "Is this because we'll be leaving on Cid's rocket tomorrow?"

Cloud nodded again.

"We don't know what's going to happen after that," he said. "We don't know what kind of dangers we're going to have to face."

Tifa took hold of his hand.

"We've faced dangers before," she said.

"But not like this," Cloud replied, shaking his head. "This is so different from anything else we've done."

She looked at him for a moment, studying his face. She was still a little surprised to hear him talk this way. He had never before expressed doubt. Through all their adventures, it was always Cloud who had the unshakable conviction that they would not only survive, but triumph.

"I just thought it might be better if we got in done now." he continued. "I think if anything is going to happen... I'd rather...well, you know," he ended lamely.

He saw the look she was giving him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just not used to you talking like this," she replied. "Not that I mind. It's very sweet, actually. But don't you think it would be better to wait, at least until we got back? A wedding takes a lot of planning, you can't just run off and do it on the spur of the moment. Well, you can, but it's just not really the same that way."

Cloud looked thoughtful for a moment. He hadn't really expected her to raise any objections.

"Yeah, you're right," he replied. He got up and walked over to the window, feeling suddenly embarrassed. "I guess it was a stupid idea."

Tifa got up immediately and walked up behind him, slipping her arms around him.

"No, it's not," she said. "It's a wonderful idea, and very romantic."

Cloud slowly turned around unitl he was facing her.

"You think so?" he said doubtfully.

"Absolutely," she replied and kissed him.

"I'm not so sure," he said slowly.

She kissed him again, a little more leisurely this time.

"Actually, maybe I should have thought of this sooner," he changed his tune.

She smiled and laid her head against his chest. She glanced out the window they stood in front of. She could just make out the tip of Cid's rocket through the trees.

"I can't believe we're actually going to do this," she said.

"Neither can I," Cloud said. They had traveled some out of the way paths on their adventures, but this one would be by far the strangest. "To think that tomorrow at this time we'll be on our way to another planet."

Tifa nodded. It was amazing how much had happened since Barret Wallace had walked into her bar and asked her to join his rebel group.

"I never would have guessed things would turn..."

She stopped suddenly. He looked down at her and saw a pained expression on her face, but it vanished immediately.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She opened her mouth, but didn't speak. She nodded, then slipped out of his arms and started hesitantly towards the door.

"Tifa?"

She brought her hand up to her head.

"I...I'm alright," she said, trying to sound nonchelant, but he could tell she was struggling to speak She did not turn toward him. "I just need to lie down for a minute. I'll be fine, really."

"Tifa," he said again, walking over to her and taking her arm. It was obvious something was wrong. He turned her around to face him. "What's the matter?"

She took a deep breath. She opened her mouth to speak, then suddenly cried out and shuddered as if she had been struck. She looked at him and all the fight seemed to go out of her.

"It's my head," she said, a note of desperation in her voice. "Some kind of headaches. I've been having them for..."

She cried out. Her knees buckled and she would have fallen to the floor if Cloud hadn't grabbed hold of her. He turned her toward him and her head fell limply to one side.

"Tifa! "

* * *

"It's getting dark," Shera commented.

Cid didn't even glance up. He was stooped down at the base of the rocket checking some connections.

"I just want to make sure the valves are working properly," he said.

"You've gone over these tanks three times," Shera pointed out. "Everything checks out. They're fine, Cid."

Cid paused for a moment, then stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"I guess," he said slowly.

Shera came up beside him.

"Since when did you become such a worrywort?" she questioned. "I remember a time when I was the cautious one and you were gung ho to get going."

"And you were right," he replied. "Whatever you say about me, you can't say I don't learn from my mistakes. Besides, it's not just me going up this time."

Shera nodded. Cid was much more careful when the lives of others were on the line instead of just his own. In a way she was grateful the others were going with him, it would make him a little less reckless.

She looked up at the rocket looming over their heads. It was the culmination of a dream, and not only for Cid. She was just as happy and proud of their accomplishment as he was. More than once she wished she could be one of the one's going along with him, but she knew with the baby that was impossible.

"Shera's right," Barret said irritablly. "The ship's as ready as it's gonna be. Personally, I can't wait till we launch this thing. Waiting around like this is starting to get on my nerves."

"You know we're not going to launch unitl tomorrow, no matter how ready it is now, " Ellengio said.

"That don't mean I gotta like it," Barret grumbled.

"Barret's right," Yuffie chimed in. "I wish we could go now. I'm bored."

"Would you two relax," Cid said. "We'll be going soon enough. Christ, you sound like a bunch of kids."

"Look who's talking," Yuffie shot back. "Mr. I've Got the Biggest Toy on the Block."

Cid grinned and was about to reply when he saw three dark suited individuals walking towards them.

The other's turned to see what had caught his eye.

"What are you doing here?" Yuffie exclaimed.

Reno seeemed not at all put out by Yuffie's manner.

"We heard what you're doing," he said. "We're coming along."

"No way!" Yuffie blurted out.

They all looked at her in surprise for a moment.

"Way," Reno replied.

"I don't think so," Yuffie reiterated. "How did you even find out we were going?"

"I told them," Elena spoke up.

"You? Why?"

"The Turks stick together," Elena replied. "Besides, we don't know what we're going to be facing, I thought we could use their unique talents."

"What, kidnapping and murder?" Yuffie snapped. "Why would you guys even want to come along?"

"For the same reason you're going," Reno replied calmly. "To stop Jenova. We live here too you know, this is as much our problem as it is yours. We don't want Jenova to return anymore than you do."

"Like you guys ever did anything unless it was for money!" Yuffie shot back. "There's got to be more to it than that."

"What's the matter Yuffie, you don't trust us?" Reno asked innocently.

"You bet your ass I don't," she said.

"Sorry you feel that way," Reno replied. "But I'm afraid the decision is not up to you."

"I doesn't matter," Yuffie said. "No one else wants you with us either."

"I'm not so sure about that," Reno stated.

"Is that right?" Yuffie replied. She turned to Cid. "Tell them they're not wanted."

Cid hesitated and looked at Yuffie sheepishly.

"Well...actually, we kind of already said they could come along," he said slowly.

"WHAT!"

"We already told Elena they could come," Cid repeated.

"When did you do that?"

Cid hesitated again, looking at Ellengio, who just turned away, obviously just wanting to stay out of this one.

"Umm, two days ago."

"Two days!" Yuffie shouted. "Why didn't I know about this?"

"Well, we really didn't think you cared one way or another," Cid replied.

"Well I do!" she shot back. "I care a lot. How could you do this? You all know what the Turks are like. They'd sell their own mother if there was any profit in it. How do we know they're not going to sabotage the entire mission? How do we know they're not going to steal the ship and leave us stranded on some strange planet? How do we know they don't want to steal the crystal materia and use it for themselves, or sell it to the highest bidder? How do we know..."

"Yuffie, calm down!" Cid exclaimed.

"I will not calm down!" she retorted, shouting louder than ever. "How could you decide to let them come along without even consulting me? Don't I have any say in this at all? Why does everybody constantly treat me like a child? Why does everyone think that I can't make a rational decision? Why am I always left out? Aren't I part of Avalanche too? Don't I have a say? Don't I get a vote? How can you just make a decision like this without..."

"Yuffie, shut up!" Cid yelled.

"I won't shut up!" she shouted back. "Don't tell me what to do! I don't have to listen to you. I can't believe you went and did this behind my back!"

"We didn't do it behind your back," Ellengio stated. "We just had no idea you had such a strong opinion on the matter."

"Ellengio's right," Cid said. "Elena came to us with this suggestion a couple of days ago. It didn't seem like it needed to be discussed with the whole group. I'm sorry you felt like you were left out, but it wasn't intentional."

"But how could you agree to take them along?" she said. "You know you can't trust Reno."

"Normally I would agree with you," Cid said. "But what Reno said was true, Jenova is a threat to everyone on this planet. That's plain for everyone to see. The Turks are as threatened by this as we are, and even though I don't trust them, they've proven in the past that they will fight for a good cause if it's to their own benifit. And we all know that stopping Jenova is to everyone's benifit."

"Even if that's true," Yuffie replied. "We have enough people. We don't need them."

"Who can say how many is enough?" Ellengio replied. "But the Turks have shown how useful they can be. Reno proved his worth at the battle of Cosmo Canyon. In fact, if it wasn't for him, you might not have survived."

"Don't remind me," Yuffie said sullenly.

"And they do have certain talents that could prove useful, talents that we do not possess ourselves," Ellengio continued. "In spite of their faults, we thought there were more benifits to bringing them than drawbacks."

"Well, I don't agree at all," Yuffie responded. "I don't trust them and I don't think they should come. What about supplies? You said that we had to know ahead of time how many people were coming."

"We added more supplies as soon as Elena told us," Cid replied. "We should have more than enough."

"So you'll let them go and still say no to Amanda?" she continued, digging for every little point she could get.

"We're not going to go through that again," Ellengio said quickly. "We've already made our reasons for not taking Amanda abundantly clear."

She turned to look at the others.

"Barret, surely you don't agree with this?"

Barret paused for a moment, surprised at being singled out.

"I'm not too thrilled with it, but I'm willing to put up with them if the others think it's for the best."

"I don't understand what your objection is," Red said. "I know we didn't get along with the Turks in the past, but we've worked with them often enough lately. Unless you have some specific objection?"

"Yes I do!" she blurted out. Then she stopped, looking at Reno, who glared back at her, a frown creasing his brow. She just stood there.

"Well?" Red coaxed.

"I just don't trust them," she said lamely.

"I wouldn't qualify that as specific," Red responded.

"Yeah, well, I don't..."

Yuffie was interrupted by a shout. They turned to see Cloud waving them back toward the house.

"I need your help," he called. "Something's happened to Tifa!"

They rushed back to the house. Cloud quickly explained what had happened as the led them into the living room, where he had laid Tifa down on the couch.

"It happened again?" he heard Aeris say as she came into the room.

"What?" he said. "You knew?"

Aeris nodded slowly.

"She told me she was having headaches. But she made me promise not to tell you. She didn't want you to worry," she said apologetically.

"And you listened to her?" Cloud exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," Aeris said "I was going to mention it to Ellengio but I thought they might have gone away."

"Great," Cloud muttered.

"Don't worry about that now," Ellengio said, stooping down to examine Tifa, Red at his side. "Let's just see if we can do anything for her."

They others stood around in silence, Cloud pacing back and forth nervously. He couldn't believe she had been having problems all along and hadn't said anything to him, or that Aeris would cover for her. After a few minutes Ellengio stood up.

"She doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger," he concluded. "Aeris, exactly what did she tell you?"

"She said she thought the headaches were being caused by the mako infusion she recieved," Aeris replied.

Ellengio nodded slowly.

"That could very well be," he mused. "It had never been done to a woman before, as far as I know. We can't predict what kind of consequences it would have. I'll have to look into this further. For now I think we should just let her rest. She can certainly use it, and she doesn't appear to be in any severe pain at the moment."

With that he ushered them out of the room. Aeris came up beside Cloud as he hesitated, looking at Tifa.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I should have told you."

Cloud shrugged if off.

"It's alright," he said. "No harm seems to have come from it, and she did ask you not to tell me. She can be so thick headed sometimes."

"Sort of like someone else we know?" Aeris pointed out.

Cloud grinned.

"Yeah, sort of," he replied. His grin quickly faded. "Do you think she'll be well enough to come along with us?"

He couldn't imagine leaving Tifa behind. But if she was not well...

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Aeris replied. "Besides, wild horses couldn't keep her from going if she knows you are."

Cloud nodded.

"I guess you're right. I just hope everything turns out okay."

"I'm sure it will," Aeris replied as they walked into the other room.

In her semiconcious state, Tifa heard their voices, but she could make out what they were saying. Nor did she try. The voices were more of a distubance than anything else. The pain had faded from excrutiating to merely a dull pounding in her temples. If she concentrated she could drive it away far enough to make it bearable, but any distraction disturbed her, causing the pain to increase. She was glad when the voices faded away.

She laid there for a long time, still fighting off the pain. She wasn't sure how long, time had lost all meaning for her. There was no more sound, but suddenly she felt a presense. She wasn't sure how, she wasn't even sure anymore if she was awake of dreaming. Her eyes were still closed, and every time she made an attempt to open them she felt a stab of pain. But somehow she sensed that someone was there.

She felt a soft touch on her forehead. Just a light brush against it, but enough to detect. She tried to open her eyes once more and the pain welled up again. She heard herself moan and the hand touched her head again. It felt cool and soothing, and the pain ebbed a bit.

'Relax, I can help you.'

She felt her body shudder. The voice was so sharp, so clear, it was as if someone were standing inside her head talking to her.

'Who are you?' Tifa thought. 'Aeris?'

'I can help you with the pain,' the voice replied. 'Right now it is unhindered, but you can wall it in. You can create a cage with your mind. You can overcome it.'

'How?' Tifa asked. She didn't care who it was, it didn't make any difference as long as they could help. Whoever it was, the voice was distinctly feminine.

'I'll teach you, just follow my thoughts.'

A complex series of thoughts flashed through her mind. She could tell they were being projected to her somehow. She tried to follow but quickly got lost.

'You're going too fast.'

'Sorry, I'll slow down. I'm used to doing it quickly. You'll learn to do it that fast yourself eventually.'

The series of thoughts was repeated. Tifa followed as best she could. When she had completed it she was surprised to realize that the pain had faded considerably.

'Now do it yourself,' the voice said.

Tifa tried to repeat what she had just done, but she quickly faltered. Each time the other person repeated the pattern for her, until she could follow it. Over and over they did it until Tifa could produce it on her own.

'Very good, now don't forget,' the voice said. 'Pratice it over and over again. You'll get better and faster, and soon your mind will do it automatically whenever you feel the pain begin.'

Tifa did it a few more times just to make sure she had it down.

'Thank you. But who are you, and how did you...'

She felt the hand removed from her forehead, and immediately she could tell that all contact was lost. She struggled to open her eyes, but it seemed so hard to do from some reason. It seemed she was waking from a very deep sleep, and her muscles did not want to obey her.

When her eyes did open, she found herself laying on the couch in Cid's living room. She sat up, blinking, and looked around, but the room was deserted. She wasn't sure whether what had just happened to her had been real or some kind of strange dream. She stood up slowly and put her hand to her head. Whatever had happened, whether it had been some mysterious person or just a figment of her imagination, she couldn't argue with the results. The pain was completely gone.

* * *

Cid slipped out of bed, being careful not to disturb Shera. He walked over to the dresser and lifted a cigarette out of the pack. He went over to the window and looked out. The moon had risen, almost full, just above the trees. He could see the top of the rocket glistening in the moonlight.

Tomorrow they would be lifting off, and this time it would not be just a quick trip up to stop meteor. This time they were going on a real adventure. He was going to fulfill his dream once again, in spades this time. No wonder he couldn't sleep.

The baby's bassinet was right beside the window, the moon shining directly in on Sydney. Cid stood there for a moment, looking at his child, lost in thought.

So much had changed for him in the last few years. For most of his life, the urge to fly, first in a plane, and then into space, had been the primary motivator in his life. But now that he was about to acheive that dream, it was diminished. For the first time in his life he had things right here on the ground that were more important to him.

He heard Shera stir. He turned toward her and saw her looking around sleepily.

"Cid?"

"I'm right here," he replied.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes

"I didn't want to wake you," he said.

She shook her head.

"You didn't wake me, I've been sleeping fitfully all night."

He came over and sat down on the bed, then took another drag from his cigarette.

"Yeah, me too."

"Big day tomorrow."

"You got that right," Cid muttered. He looked at Shera. He could see her clearly in the moonlight. Her hair was disheveled from sleep, her eyes puffy, but to him she suddenly seemed more beautiful than ever.

"What?" she said, seeing him looking at her.

He sighed and took hold of her hand.

"You know this has been my lifelong dream," he said.

She gripped his hand tighter.

"Of course," she replied. She had known going in that one day this was going to happen, and she had promised herself she would never hold him back. "I know you have to do this."

"Yeah, but that's just it, ya see," he said awkwardly. "It's always been my dream, but I look at what I've got now, what I'll be leavin' behind, and space don't seem all that appealing all of a sudden. To tell you the truth, if they didn't need me, I'd be just as happy staying here with you and the baby."

Shera smiled and cuddled up next to him.

"Oh Cid," she said.

"But I gotta go," he continued. "There's no one else who can pilot the ship. But I just want you to know...I just wanna say..." he faltered, the words stumbling from his mouth.

"Cid, you don't have to say anything," Shera said.

"Yeah, I know, but I wanna. Christ, you know I'm no good at this sort of thing. I'd pretty much do anything I could to get outta this, but we both know I can't. I just wanna say that I'm gonna miss the hell outa both of ya."

Shera turned away and rubbed her eyes, and this time she was not rubbing the sleep out of them.

"I'll miss you too," she said, turning back toward him. "And I know Sydney will too. But I know you've got to do this. You're not flying off on some whim, Cid, what your doing is important, and it could save our child, or our child's children, from having to someday face the threat of Jenova. It takes a special person to make the kind of sacrifices you and the rest of Avalanche have made. I'm very proud of you."

This time it was Cid's turn to look away, feeling embarrassed. He wasn't a person who was very good at handling praise.

"I'm proud of you too," he said.

"Me?" Shera questioned. "What for?"

"For puttin' up with me for all these years," he replied. "And for giving me something more precious than any rocket ship."

Their eyes drifted over to the bassinet. Cid slipped his arm around Shera and they sat there in silence for a moment.

"Just promise me one thing," Shera said finally, so softly he had to strain to hear her.

"What's that?"

"Promise me...promise me that no matter what happens, no matter what you have to face, that you'll come back to me and Syndey. Our baby needs her dad, and I don't know what I'd do..."

Her voice faded into silence. Cid looked at her, and though the room was dark he could still make out the tears on her cheeks.

"Hey c'mon," he said. "None o' that. You know me, I'm a survivor. There ain't nothin' gonna happen to this old boy, not when he knows he's got you to waitin' for him. Shit, I don't care if there's a thousand of those Jenova things lined up in a row when we reach the planet, they ain't gonna stop me from getting back here."

He wrapped his arms around her and Shera buried her head in his chest. They sat there in silence for some time, Shera trying her best to pull herself together while Cid tried awkwardly to comfort her.

"I love you Cid," she finally said, brushing away the tears.

"You know I love you too," he replied. "And don't worry, no matter what happens, I promise I'll come back. Now it's getting late, so why don't we both try to get a little rest. Sittin' around here worrying isn't going to do either one of us a bit of good."

Cid stubbed out his cigarette. Shera nodded and they both lay back down. They lay there in silence for a few minutes, then Cid glanced over at Shera. He was wide awake, staring at the ceiling. He took hold of her hand again without a word. He had a feeling neither of them was going to get much sleep tonight.

* * *

Amanda sat alone under the trees on a small hill overlooking Cid's rocket. She had been sitting there for over an hour, hardly moving at all, just watching the technicians below as they worked to get the spacecraft ready for launch. She almost seemed to be daydreaming, but she was actually watching the workers below with a keen interest.

For all her pleading, she had not managed to get the others to agree to take her along, yet she deperately wanted to go, and she wasn't even sure anymore of her reasons. She still had a mission to carry out, and she obviously could not finish it if she stayed here and Barret went shooting off into space, but she was suprised to realize that she was also hurt because she felt she was being left out. She realized it was silly. These people were not friends of hers, it would be the height of folly for her to start becoming emotionally attached, not with what she had to do. But she was having difficultly maintaining her distance. Yuffie especially was treating her almost as if they were sisters. Amanda had never had that kind of experience before.

Suddenly she had an uneasy feeling. She spun around to see a man stainding in the shadow of the trees. She jumped up, fists ready, but then relaxed when she recognized the figure.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned.

Ice stepped forward until he was right beside her.

"I was standing there for quite a while before you turned around," he said. "Seems to me someone with your training should have noticed I was there sooner."

"What do you want?" she said, ignoring his barb.

"Just wanted to see how you and your little friends are doing," Ice replied sarcastically.

"They're not my friends," Amanda said.

Ice lifted an eyebrow.

"That's funny. Seems to me you've taken quite a shine to them. Looks like you've been getting very cozy. Kind of strange considering that Barret Wallace was the man who murdered your parents in cold blood."

"You don't have to remind me of that," she said coldly. "I've got to earn their trust if I want them to let me stay with them."

"Yes," he answered. "But how long does it take? The boss is starting to get restless. We were talking the other day and he was wondering why Barret Wallace isn't dead yet."

"It's not that easy," she said, annoyed and upset that Ice was spying on her. "His friends are always with him. I just need a little more time."

Ice looked at her skeptically.

"Well you better do something soon, for your own sake as well as Calin's."

"What's Calin got to do with this?" she questioned sharply.

"Nothing at all," Ice replied. "Except that this is his little project. If it fails his credibility will be zero. Not that I would mind that, he's staring to become a thorn in my side lately, with his big ideas. But when the boss sees you screw this up, just like I predicted you would, Calin will no longer be a factor."

"I'm not going to screw it up," she said indignently.

"So you say," he replied. "But I think you're getting cold feet. I don't think you've got the guts to pull this off."

"I...I do too!" he said, wanting to shout, but keeping it down. She took a look down at the workers, but they hadn't seemed to notice her, and she was far enough away that they couldn't overhear unless she shouted. "I just need a little more time!"

Ice just gave her a penetrating look.

"Very well," he said. "But not too much longer. I understand they'll be taking a little trip into space. It's very dangerous up there. The perfect place for him to have an accident, wouldn't you agree? Might I suggest that when that rocket returns to earth that Barret Wallace no longer be among the living?"

"I get the picture," Amanda replied. "I'll do my job."

"I hope so," Ice said thoughtfully. "I certainly hope so."

Then he turned and walked rapidly back into the woods.

Amanda watched him until he disappeared, then turned and sat down slowly, looking once more at the rocket below her.

Things were not going anything like she had imagined. No one was acting the way she had expected. Calin had told her that Barret had killed her parents, but he didn't act like a killer, he didn't act like someone who was trying to take control of Corel for his own gain. He seemed to be genuinely concerned about the citizens of the city, and had been very fair and kind to her when he had met her. He even had a daughter of his own, and she could tell that Marlene was just crazy about her father, and that the man doted on the girl. She just couldn't picture Barret doing the things he was accused of. Perhaps there was some kind of mistake, perhaps somehow Calin had gotten the wrong man. It was possible, wasn't it? What if she went through with this and they found out later on that is was a mistake, that she had killed Barret for nothing? How would she be able to live with herself?

She chewed anxiously on a strand of hair, feeling a knot begining to form in her stomach. If she didn't follow through with this, Calin would be disgraced. She certainly didn't want that to happen to the man who had raised her since she was a child. They were all depending on her to get this done, and Calin would be sure of his facts before he revealed them to her, wouldn't he? People could change, or be very clever. Perhaps Barret really did have evil designs, just hid them very well. How did she know what he was really plotting in his office at work every day? His whole personality could be an act to keep his daughter from suspecting anything. At any rate, it wasn't up to her to decide, she had a job to do and was expected to do it, no matter how she felt about it.

The problem was, she still wasn't going with them. She could hardly complete her mission unless she somehow managed to get aboard that ship. Time was running out, they were going to launch in less than two hours now. She raised her head and looked down at the workers below once again. She hadn't been staring idely at them all this time, but had been carefully watching them, watching their patterns. Right now they were loading things into the cargo hatch, and she could see that every once in a while, the hatch was unguarded. It only lasted for a few minutes, but it was happening at regular intervals. She got up and started slowly down the hill. Whatever was going to happen, she was determined to be on that rocket when it lifted off.

* * *

Altim was determined to be on that rocket when it lifted off. From what he had overheard, these people were on a mission to another planet, an adventure he knew he could never pass up. To have an opportunity like this fall into his lap and pass it up would have been unthinkable. And he had hard monetary reasons for going as well. He knew these people had at least two types of unique materia along with them, and who knew what other materia, or even stranger things, they might find on another planet? The trip could prove very lucrative.

He made his way closer to the rocket, trying to act like just another gawking spectator. He had followed the group to Rocket town when he had heard what they were doing. Shue had remained in Wutai, not in the least bit interested in this adventure once Altim had told him the details. He preferred the low risk and steady return of work in Wutai to some crazy scheme to go into outer space. The man just had no vision!

He circled slowly around the rocket, just observing what was going on. He could see they were loading cargo, and from casually eavesdropping on some conversations he had gathered that they would be lauching in a couple of hours. If he was going to do something, it would have to be soon.

Hw moved closer, watching the men work, and then he noticed a silver haired girl. She was one of the people who had been in Aeris group. She was standing not far away from the workers. She seemed to be just watching them do their job, but there was something in the way she kept looking up at the rocket that caught his attention.

He walked slowly over until he was behind her, partially concealed by the framework of the gantry. He had a feeling she was up to something from the way she kept looking around, as if she was waiting for something.

The workers had just finished loading a crate. Now they walked into a large truck whose contents they had been transferring to the ship. As soon as they disappeared the girl glanced around one more time, looking straight at Altim, but he ducked down at the last instant. When he looked up again he saw her sprinting for the cargo hold.

Without even thinking about it he was after her. As he rushed across the clearing toward the cargo bay door he could see that the workers were still in the truck, but would probably come out momentarily. The girl had obviously been watching them and had timed this precisely. He hoped he could make it into the hold in time.

He dashed as fast as he could, running up the ramp. He glanced back one more time to see the men emerging from the truck. With a last lunge he dived into the hold. He looked quickly back out the door, but he didn't hear or see anything out of the ordinary. He was pretty sure he had not been seen.

The cargo hold was low ceilinged and dark, the light through the door the only illumiation. The hold was filled with crates and boxes, and Altim quickly made his way back through them. Hopefully he could get lost far enough back in there so that no one would notice him, something he was sure the girl had in mind as well.

He slipped around behind a crate and suddenly someone lunged at him.

He really shouldn't have been surprised. He knew the girl was in here somewhere, and that she had probably seen him enter behind her. He had in fact expected to run into her, but he hadn't expected her to be so fast.

He tried to dodge out of the way, but she grabbed hold of his arm and twisted it around behind him, rather painfully, in fact. He tried to pull away, but she had the leverage, and he fell to the ground, with her on top of him.

"Who the hell are you?" she snarled.

"Hey, calm down," he said. "I'm not going to give you away."

"I said, who are you?" she demanded.

"My name is Altim," he replied. "I'm a friend of Aeris."

"Aeris?"

"Yes, well, sort of."

"What do you mean, sort of."

"It's a long story," he replied. "And it's kind of uncomfortable down here on the floor with your knee in my back. Do you think you could let me up?"

"Not til I know what you're doing here," she said suspicsiously.

"The same thing you are," he replied. "I wanted to go on this trip, and I didn't think they'd let me come along if I just asked."

"Why do you want to go?" she questioned, her voice begining to lose it's angry tone.

"Fun, adventure, to explore new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one..."

"I get the picture," she cut him off.

They sat there in silence for a moment. This was something that she had not expected at all. What was she to do with him?

"Can I get up now?" he asked politely.

Just then they heard the voices of the workers through the cargo bay door.

"Shhh," she said, dropping down beside him. They lay flat on the floor while the men brought in some more cargo. They were well concealed, and no one came anywhere near them.

"That's the last of it," they heard one man call out. "Let's get out of here and close this up. We've got a tight schedule."

The men's voices faded, and then there was a loud hum as the doors to the cargo bay slowly closed. The light faded until they were in pitch black, but then dim ceiling lights came to life, not very brightly, but enough to see by.

Altim sat up and brushed himself off.

"So now what?" he questioned.

What indeed, she thought? The cargo bay door was closed, there was no going out that way anymore.

"I don't trust you," she said.

Atlim shrugged.

"I'm not sure I trust you either, but I don't think there's much either one of us can do about it at this point. The only way out now is through the main deck, and you won't be able to kick me out that way without being seen yourself. And I've got a feeling you want to go along on this trip as much as I do. I'm afraid we're stuck with one another."

Amanda looked at him sourly. As much as she didn't want a companion, she had to agree he was right. There was no way to get rid of him without revealing herself as well.

"I suppose you're right," she replied. "But you've got some nerve stealing my idea on sneaking aboard. The least you could do would be to come up with your own idea."

"A clever man takes advantage of every opportunity," he replied. "By the way, you didn't mention your own name, might it be Amanda by any chance?"

He remembered when he was eavesdropping that they were arguing about Amanda coming along. Seemed likely this was the girl they were talking about, and besides, he thought he recognized her voice.

Amanda frowned.

"How'd you know that?" she questioned.

"I have my sources," he replied.

Amanda just glared at him.

"So what happens now?" he asked.

"We wait until they lift off," Amanda replied. "Once they're out in space, even if they discover us, I don't think they'll have any cboice but to take us along. I don't think they're gonna turn back because of a couple of stowaways."

"I guess," Altim replied. He could see that Amanda was still eyeing him suspiciously, but she seemed satifised that he was harmless at the moment, and that it would be in both their interests to work together.

"So when do we lift off?" he questioned.

"Soon," she replied, sitting down on the floor, her back propped up against a crate. She didn't know what Altim's motives were, but she had no choice but to trust him at the moment. She was just going to make sure she kept a close eye on him. "Might as well sit down. We've got nothing left to do now but wait."

* * *

"Come on, people, move along," Cid called out. He stood at the entrance hatch to the rocket, ushering the others inside. Shera stood beside him.

"Relax, Cid," Cloud said. "We'll be up in space soon enough."

Cid did not reply, in fact, he did not even seem to hear, so absorbed was he in what he was doing.

"Leave him alone, Cloud," Tifa said. "He's excited. This is his lifelong dream. To tell you the truth, I think it's pretty exciting myself."

"It is pretty wild to think about it," Cloud agreed. He looked at Tifa carefully. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"

Tifa nodded.

"I'm fine," she replied. Her friends had been quite surprised with how suddenly she had recovered from her headache the other day. Cloud had been watching her closely since, but the pain had not returned. She hadn't told them what had happened to her, not really sure herself whether or not it had been some kind of hallucination.

"C'mon, make some room here," they heard a voice call out.

They looked toward the entrance and saw Cid step aside as Reeve walked in, followed closely by Cait.

"You got him fixed," Tifa said.

"Uh huh," Reeve replied. "Good as new. Better, hopefully."

"Hello Tifa, Cloud," Cait said. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," Cloud replied.

"Yeah, we've kind of missed all those neat fortunes you're always telling," Tifa commented.

"Really?" Cait said. He looked at Tifa and Cloud for a moment. "Well, they were never very good, but if you like, I can do one for you now."

"Quit clutterin' up the walkway," Cid called in to them. "We've got more people to get aboard here! I can't believe we've got this many people going. It's like a damn circus around here."

"Oops," Tifa said. "Looks like we're gumming up the works." She looked at Cait. "Perhaps later on."

"Fine with me," he said and they walked down the passageway.

Cid turned around and looked down the stairway. Lai Li was coming up, with Reno and Rude not far behind her. They were the last of them.

"Let's get a move on, people. We don't have all day," he growled.

Lai Li increased her pace and went quickly past him. The Turks took their time. Reno stopped and looked up at the rocket when they reached Cid.

"You sure this thing is going to remain in one piece?" he asked. "Doesn't look all that sturdy. I hope you've got some kind of escape vehicle."

Cid stared at him for a moment, then pointed to the hatch.

"That door's closin' in two minutes. You can either be inside or standing out here. Either way it ain't gonna make any difference to me," he said.

Reno looked at him and smiled falsely. Then he strode into the ship, Rude right behind him. Cid turned to Shera.

"I guess this is it," he said.

Shera looked at him, and he could see she was trying hard to be strong.

"Take care of yourself," she said.

"I will," he replied. "Don't let little Sydney forget about me while I'm gone."

"Don't worry, I won't," she replied.

They stood there for a moment, then Cid grabbed hold of her and pulled her toward him, bending her over and kissing her. Then he stood up and stepped into the rocket, waving quickly.

"I'll be back soon," he said.

"I know you will," she replied.

The door slid shut. Cid stared at it for a minute, then pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. He turned and walked quickly into the command center of the spacecraft.

"All right people, we're just about ready to go. Have a seat and strap yourselves in. Then sit back and enjoy the ride!"

Cid plopped himself down in the pilots seat. He started rapidly flicking switches and looking over the displays in front of him. Everything seemed to be in fine order.

"T minus fifteen minutes," he called out.

The others sat themselves down as well and strapped on their restraints. Aeris was directly behind Tifa. She found her heart beating fast in her chest. Some of the others had been along with Cid the first time he had gone up, but of course she had not been among them. The whole thing seemed terribly exciting, and more than a little frightening. She slowly looked around at the others. She couldn't see the faces of those in front of her, but those behind her ranged from the obvious excitment of Lai Li to the apparent boredom on the face of Vincent.

She sat back, trying to get herself to relax as the minutes slowly ticked away. She couldn't help but wonder what they were going to find up there in space, and on Grouchoon, if they should ever actually got there. She knew there were many dangers ahead of them, but they were in the future at the moment, and right now she was determined to make the most out of this unique experience.

"T minus one minute," Cid stated. He had his eyes glued to the instrument panel now, watching all the gauges carefully. Occasionly he would glance up at the moniter that showed the control room on the ground. He could see Shera standing in there now, undoubtably watching the monitors in front of her. But he had too much to capture his attention right now to let his eyes linger on her, no matter how much he wanted to.

The countdown reached ten seconds and they all felt a rumble as the engines ignited. Even Cid felt himself tense up. This was it, all the work was finally coming to fruitation. He had done this before, but that had only been a test, this was the real thing.

The countdown reached zero.

"Here we go!" Cid shouted.

The ship lurched upward, forcing them all back in their seats. The roar of the engines quickly became deafening. The ship began to shake violently, and some of the others looked concerned, but Cid knew it was nothing unusual. He looked out the window in front of him and saw the sky rushing towards them as they blasted up into the atmosphere. They were doing it, they were really doing it!

"Yeeeaahhhhaaaaa!" Cid yelled as they left the world behind them.


	13. Infinity and Beyond

CHAPTER XIII

INFINITY AND BEYOND

The roar of the engines suddenly dimished, then faded away entirely. The pressure that had been pushing them back in their seats faded away. Tifa took a deep breath and looked out the window, to seen the darkness of space amid a backdrop of stars.

"Okay, you can all relax now," Cid stated. "The launch was successful and we are in space. Feel free to get up and move around if you wish."

"So what happens now?" Vincent questioned.

"First we get a little farther from the planet," Cid replied. "Wouldn't want to call a wormhole too close to that, it could destroy it was well or better than meteor would have. Then Ellengio does his thing with the black materia. The wormhole appears and we go through. That's that."

Tifa glanced over at Cloud. Somehow she didn't think it would be quite that simple, and from the look on his face, he was thinking the same thing.

"How long before we can call the wormhole?" Cloud asked.

"A couple of hours," Ellnegio responded. "That should put us far enough away from the planet to pose it no danger."

"And how long will it take to go through the wormhole?" Reeve asked.

Ellengio hesitated for a moment.

"Can't really say," he replied. "It's really just a connection between two points in space, there shouldn't be any distance to it at all. But I can't really say for sure."

"And how close to this other planet will we be when we come out?" Zack asked.

Ellengio shook his head.

"I have no way of knowing," he replied. "I would assume we'll be about the same distance as we are from our planet when we enter the wormhole."

"You assume?" Reno questioned. "Sounds like there's a lot of guesswork involved in this."

"Yes there is," Ellengio agreed. "Since we are the first one's to ever attempt such a thing, except for Jenova, and we could hardly get answers from that creature, we just don't know what's going to happen."

"Exactly," Reno replid. "You've never called a wormhole before. How do you know you can even do it?? And even if you do, how can you be sure it's going to send us to the place we want to go? How do we know it's not just going to send us out into the middle of space somewhere a gazillion miles from where we want to go?"

"I admit calling the wormhole will not be a simple procedure," Ellengio said. "It's going to take a tremedous amount of mental power to us the black materia for that purpose. I'm pretty sure I can manage it though, with Aeris help. But if we can't, well, then the trip ends pretty quickly and we return to our own planet. As for us ending up in the middle of nowhere once we go through, well, that is a possibility. But the black materia is programmed to send us back to the point of orgin of it's first use, and as long as Aeris and I keep our minds focused on it, it should send us straight back to where we want to go."

"How do we know you're strong enough to do that?" Reno questioned.

"We don't," Ellengio replied simply. "We're just going to have to find out when we do it. Nobody said this would be easy, or that there wasn't any danger involved. If I remember correctly, you volunteered to come along, no one forced you to. You're just going to have to accept the risks involved whether you like it or not."

"Yeah, Reno, quit your yappin'," Barret cut in. "We've got enough things on our minds without having to listen to you."

"Oh shut up, Barret," Reno shot back. "All you do is follow the other members of Avalanche around mindlessly. If one of them told you to walk off a cliff you wouldn't even think about it first, would you?"

"Leave him alone, Reno," Tifa said. "It's called loyalty, something you've obviously never known anything about."

"It's called being used, you mean," Reno replied, turning toward Tifa. "And you should be the last one to talk. You're even worse than Barret. You've been following Cloud around like a little puppy dog practically your whole life, even when he was totally ignoring you. To tell you the truth, I find it sickening the way he manipulates you."

"I'm not manipulating anyone!" Cloud said, stepping forward angrily.

"Ohh, what are you going to do, slice me up and then tell everyone that you didn't know what you were doing? Personally I thought your claim about being influcened by Jenova was pretty clever. It certainly took the blame off you for all the stupid decisions you made."

"C'mon Reno," Aeris volunteered. "You know very well that Cloud wasn't making any of that up."

"You're defending him too?" Reno said. looking at her in apparent surprise. "Even after he discarded you like an old dish rag? Are you so thick headed that he can treat you like shit and you don't even realize it?"

"Leave her alone!" Reeve said immediately.

"Funny you should come to her defense," Reno turned his attention to Reeve without a pause. "You've become awfully brave all of a sudden, now that you've got the others to hide behind. Let me ask you something, where were you when Aeris had been captured by Tseng? You were in the Shinra building, you knew what was going on. If you care for her so much, why didn't you help her then?"

"Reno, you know I...," Reeve said hesitantly. "I hardly knew her then."

"How convenient," Reno replied sarcastically. "Figures you'd have an excuse for not helping her when it was actually dangerous to do so."

"Reno, just shut the hell up!" Cid growled from his seat. "We didn't ask you to come along. Who the hell put the bug up your ass today anyway?"

Reno rolled his eyes.

"And now we hear from the old washed up pilot who is risking the lives of all his so called friends just to try to lend some validation to his life by shooting off into space on some hairbrained scheme. I have to admit I've never seen a more pathetic group of losers in my entire life."

"Boy, you're in rare form today," Yuffie spoke up for the first time. "But what makes you think any of us are interested in the opinion of someone who has no moral values whatsoever?"

Reno glared at her.

"I'm not even gonna get started with you," he said dismissively.

"Reno, just shut your mouth!" Cloud snarled, starting toward him menacingly. "I didn't come along on this trip to listen to your crap."

"Cloud, it's not worth it," Tifa said, coming up beside him and grabbing him by the arm. "You know he's just saying all this to antagonize everyone. Are you really going to pay attention to anything he says?"

"Just ignore him," Zack agreed. "You know he's just doing it to tick everybody off."

"Yeah, I've had enough of this, I'm gonna get something to eat," Barret said, and headed off to the galley.

"Sounds good to me. Hey Barret, wait up," Cid said, following him out.

"C'mon, let's go," Tifa said, looking at Cloud, who stood there for a moment, still looking like he was spoiling for a fight. Then he shrugged.

"Yeah, you're right," he said. He cast one last glance at Reno then he and Tifa walked out of the room. The others quickly followed until the three Turks were the only one's left. Elena came up beside Reno.

"Must you be so antoagonistic?" she questioned.

Reno gave her a sly smile.

"You gotta admit, things would be awfully boring around here without me," he commented.

Elena looked him over.

"You enjoyed doing that, didn't you?" she said.

"Of course," he replied. "They're such easy targets. And what fun will this trip be if I don't rile things up a bit."

"Well, you just better be careful not to rile anyone up too much," she responded. "Cloud looked ready to beat the hell out of you."

Reno snorted.

"I'd like to see him try," he replied.

"Keep it up and he just might," she said. She looked around for a moment. "Well, no sense standing around here. Let's go get something to eat."

She led them into the other room. Cid, Barret and Cloud were sitting at the table. The others had scattered around the ship. They gave Reno a dark look, Cloud in particular, but no one said anything. Reno just ignored them and kept up a cheerful converstaion with the other Turks, as if everyone there were all the best of buddies. Eventually Cloud picked up his sandwich and left the table. Reno looked at him as we walked towards the door.

"Was it something I said?" he inquired sweetly.

Cloud ignored him and left the room. The last thing he needed right now was to listen to Reno's annoying jabber. He walked down the passageway and peeked in the next room. Ellengio, Red, Nipala, and Lai Li were all deep in conversation, poring over some star charts, all discussing the finer points of space travel. Definitely not something he wanted to get involved with right now. At this point he just felt like realaxing for a little while. They were on their way, there was nothing more for him to do now but sit and wait. He was sure there would be more than enough for him to do once they reached this new planet, so he might as well just take it easy while he had the chance.

The next room was a lounge with a large window looking out into space. There was a couch in the center of the room, facing the window. Looked like a perfect place to relax for a bit.

He walked around the side of the couch and stopped, surprised to see Aeris curled up on it. She must have been staring out the window, but now she looked up at him. She smiled and sat up immediately.

"Am I disturbing you?" Cloud asked.

"Not at all," she said, patting the seat beside her. "I was just relaxing a bit."

Cloud sat down beside her.

"Exactly what I had in mind," he said. "We're probably going to get little enough of it once we get to this planet."

Aeris just looked out the window thoughtfully.

"I suppose," she said finally. She didn't really seem to be paying any attention to him. A faint smile played across her lips.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

For a moment she did not respond, just sat there motionless. Then she turned toward him suddenly.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Nothing is funny. I was just listening."

"Listening?" Cloud said, puzzled. "I don't hear anything."

"You can't here that?" Aeris said, then paused a moment. "Of course you can't. Sometimes I forget. It's the voices of the planets, they're all around us."

"Voices?" Cloud said. "You mean, you can hear more than one?"

"Yes," she replied. "There are hundreds, thousands. When we were on the earth, all I could hear was our planet, the sounds of it drowned out all this. It was like looking up at the sky during the day, you can only see the sun, but at night all the other stars come out. Up here in space, it's like seeing the night sky for the first time. I can hear all the voices, all together, like some kind of beautiful music. The harmony of the spheres. Oh, I wish you could hear it!"

Cloud just looked at her, amused by her obvious enthusiasm. Again he was reminded of just how different she was from anyone else he had ever met.

"I wish I could," he said. Looking at her, he couldn't help but smile. She had missed out on their first excursion into space, and it was obvious that she was quite excited about this one, perhaps almost as much as Cid. Sitting there, listening to sounds only she could hear, she seemed like a small child who had found a new and beautiful toy. And like a child, she seemed totally unconcerned about the danger they might face on this voyage. In a way he couldn't blame her. After all, she had already faced death once, and it was kind of refreshing to see such enthusiasm, but it also scared him as well. That kind of attitute could lead to reckless decisions, as it had when she had made up her mind to go up against Sephiroth alone. Whatever else was going to happen, he knew this mission was going to be fraught with danger. He couldn't help but worry about her.

"Aeris," he said seriously. "When we get to this new planet, could you just...I mean...I think it would be better..."

He faltered and she gave him a curious look. He took a deep breath. What could he say? Aeris, don't do anything stupid? That's what he wanted to say, but he knew he couldn't word it like that. It didn't matter anyway. He'd know Aeris long enough to know that she wouldn't listen to anyone else's advice, no matter how reasonable it might seem.

"Just be careful, okay?" he ended lamely.

"Of course I will," she replied. "What made you say that?"

Cloud just shook his head.

"No particular reason," he replied. His found his gaze drawn to her soft green eyes. "I just worry about you. We all do."

She smiled.

"And I hope you didn't take what Reno said seriously," he continued. "You know it wasn't like that."

"Of course not," she replied. "Reno was just being Reno. I'm not going to listen to anything he has to say."

"Good," Cloud said. Even though he loved Tifa, he still cared a great deal about Aeris. He didn't want to lose her as a friend.

"So there you two are."

They turned around to see Vincent standing in the doorway.

"It's almost time," Vincent said. "Aeris, Ellengio is getting ready to use the black materis, and he told me he might need your assitance. He said the rest of us should get strapped in. We might be in for a bumpy ride. The others have gathered in the control room. I haven't found Yuffie yet, have you seen her?"

"Nope," Cloud replied. "She's probably hiding in a corner somewhere puking her guts out."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Vincent responded. "You go back to the control room, I'll find her."

* * *

"I'm hungry," Amanda said.

Altim nodded but said nothing. He had had nothing to eat since early that morning, and his stomach was growling to, but he chose to ignore it. He wondered how long it had been since they lifted off. He looked at his wrist, wondering wistfully why he had't bothered to wear his watch today. For some reason, he didn't really care for watches,and usually only wore his if he knew he was going to need it. He supposed that he must have figured a rocket ship would have clocks on it. Not in the cargo hold, of course, but he hadn't thought of that. Silly, he chided himself. He prided himself on thinking ahead. In his line of work, it paid to have all bases comvered,and the person who planned best was usually the one who was most successful. He should have known better.

But there was not much he could do about it now, and the lack of a watch didn't seem to have done them any harm. He was kind of curious about how long they had been sitting here. It seemed like hours already, but he knew that time seemed to crawl when you were sitting around doing nothing. For all he knew, they might not have been in flight very long at all yet.

"Do you think we've gone through the wormhole yet?" Amanda asked, obviously feeling as impatient as he did himself. There was nothing worse than just sitting around waiting for something to happen. He had spent the time telling Amanda about his travels with the Swordsman, or Zack as he was now known, and how he had met Aeris. Amanda had told him a little about herself as well, but not much.

"I don't know," he replied. "I doubt it. You would think that we would have noticed it somehow."

"How would we notice anything in here?" Amanda questioned, waving her arms at the crates that surrounded them. He had to admit she had a point. An interplanetary war could be taking place outside, and they wouldn't have an inkling.

"I don't know," he repeated. "I would think we would feel...something."

They fell silent for a few minutes. Amanda looked around.

"I'm hungry," she said again. "I wonder if any of these crates have food in them?"

Altim looked over the crates as well.

"I suppose some of them must," he stated.

Amanda locked eyes with him.

"Well," she said thoughtfully. "Shall we see what we can find?"

Altim looked dubious.

"If we go around opening a bunch of crates, they're going to notice," he stated.

"It won't matter," Amanda replied. "Even if they find us now, they're not going to turn back. At this point they've got no choice but to take us along with them."

Altim still hesitated.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm...pretty sure," she replied a little less confidently. "I mean, it would be crazy for them to turn around now, wouldn't it? After all the trouble getting here. And they couldn't just turn around again once we got back to earth, right? It would take them a long time to get ready for a launch again if they went back now, wouldn't it?"

"I guess," Altim replied. What Amanda was saying made sense, but he really didn't know the logistics of space travel. Given the choice, however, he would prefer to remain hidden for as long as possible.

But Amanda took his reply as agreement and scrambled over the top of the crates, then started working her way toward the front of the room, looking at the crates closely and trying to read the labels. Now that it came down to it she realized she hadn't thought this whole thing through very well. She hadn't brought anything to eat along with her, and now she was regretting it. The truth of the matter was, she was ready to risk discovery for the sake of putting something in her stomach.

Altim belatently followed, cringing at all the noise she was making.

"Could you at least keep it down?" he asked, trying to keep his voice from carrying. "Even if it's too late to turn back, I'd rather not advertise that we're here."

"Don't worry," Amanda replied. "No one's been in here since they closed the cargo doors. The place is deserted."

"I hope so," Altim muttered. He caught up with her a moment later. She was standing in front of one particular stack of crates. She pointed to the label, which read 'provisions'.

"Looks like we've got a winner," she said with satisfaction. "Help me open it up."

It took them a good ten minutes to crack the crate open. They had no tools, and finally Amanda sort of just toppled to top crate right off the stack. It fell to the floor with a crash. Altim looked daggers at her.

"Oops," she said innocently. Amanda knelt down beside the remains of the crate while Altim looked around slowly, but he saw nothing.

"Here we go," Amanda said contently. He looked down to see her neatly arranging the provisions on the floor beside the crate. "Come and get it," she said, looking up at him.

He took one last glance around then hopped off the crates onto the floor beside her. He had to admit, now that the food was in front of him, that this might not have been such a bad idea. He hadn't really realized just how hungry he had been. Amanda was breaking off chunks of cheese from a wheel and placing it on crackers. She offered some to him, which he gladly accepted. He wolfed them down quickly. They were quite good, though a little dry.

"Nothing to drink?" he said.

Amanda looked around and smiled.

"We'll have to do a little more hunting," she said.

"Who the hell are you?"

They both looked up, startled. Amanda turned and saw Yuffie standing on top of a nearby crate. She was staring at Altim.

With a curse Altim jumped up and pulled out his dagger. He knew it was stupid to let down his guard. He had let Amanda lull him into a false sense of security.

Yuffie immediatly loosened her sherukin.

"Put down the knife," she demanded.

"Yuffie, stop," Amanda said. "This is Altim. We stowed away. I know it was a stupid thing to do, but I just couldn't let you all leave me behind."

"I said put down the knife!" Yuffie said again, ignoring Amanda.

"You put down your weapon," Altim shot back.

"Stop it!" Amanda said. "Yuffie, Altim is not an enemy."

"How do you know that?" Yuffie said. "Where do you know him from?"

"I just met him," Amanda replied. "He followed me on board the ship."

"You just met him?" Yuffie said suspiciously. "Then how do you know he's not an enemy?"

"Yuffie, don't be ridiculous," Amanda said. "I've been with him since we lifted off and he hasn't done anything to harm me or anyone else."

"Maybe not yet," Yuffie replied. "But who knows what he has in mind. Sometimes you're a little too trusting, Amanda. He might be using you for his own purposes."

"I'm not using anyone," Altim replied. "And I have no intention of hurting anyone."

"If that's true then put down the knife," Yuffie stated.

"You're not going to take my weapon," Altim said defiantly.

"Would you two stop it," Amanda cried out. "Yuffie, he's a friend of Aeris."

"So he told you," Yuffie said. "I'm telling you one last time, lose the knife or I'll lose it for you!"

"That might be a bit more difficult than you think!" Altim shot back.

Yuffie's sherukin whistled through the air. Altim lunged backward, almost falling over, the sherukin missing him by inches. Then he dashed forward. Yuffie lept off the crate just as Altim reached it. He slashed at her with the knife, but missed as she found purchase on a higher crate. The sherukin returned to her hand and she pulled it back for another throw. Altim lunged forward, smashing his shoulder into the pile of crates she stood upon. Her arms pinwheeled wildly as she struggled to maintain her balance, then she lept away just as the crates toppled to the ground, some of them falling on Altim, knocking him down. She landed awkwardly and stumbled, falling heavily into another stack of crates.

Amanda yelled for them to stop, but they seemed intent on ignoring her. She had to put a halt to this somehow, but it was obvious they weren't going to listen to her, listen to reason. She turned to run into the main cabin, figuring no matter what happened now, they could not hide any longer, and maybe the others could put a stop to this. But almost immediatly as she turned her progress was halted by a dark figure standing almost directly behind her. A cold metal arm shot out and grabbed hold of her arm, and she gasped and looked up in surprise.

"Don't move!" a deep voice commanded.

Silence fell as both Yuffie and Altim looked up from the floor to see the tall figure of Vincent standing beside Amanda, gun poised in his hand.

* * *

"Have a seat," Ellengio said.

Ellengio was sitting on the floor in the center of the room, the black materia in front of him. Aeris slowly sat down on the opposite side of it and arranged herself until she was comfortable. Ellengio waited patiently until she was done.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Aeris nodded.

Ellengio leaned forward and placed his hands on the black materia. After a moment he looked up at her.

"Remember, this is just like any other materia, only much stronger," he told her. "You use it the same way, only your concentration must be flawless. The sensations will be the same, but more powerful, so be prepared."

Aeris hesitated a moment, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to relax.

"Let's do it," she said.

Ellengio nodded.

"Place your hands on top of mine."

Aeris did as she was told. She almost jerked her hands back as soon as they made contact with Ellengio's. There was always a tingling sort of feeling when one touched functioning materia, but this feeling was so much different, so much stronger, it was almost as if the materia was a living thing.

She forced her hands to remain in contact, and told herself to relax. She didn't think she was going to get used to this feeling, but she could force herself to ignore it.

She glanced up at Ellengio. His head was bowed, staring, already concentrating fully on the stone, and what they had to achieve. Aeris lowered her head as well. At first she just concentrated on relaxing, slowly focusing on each part of her body in turn, and then clearing her mind. This was not ordinarily necessary when using materia, but this was no ordinary materia.

Once she felt sufficently relaxed, her mind properly focused, she began concentrating on the task at hand. Normally when one used materia, one concentrated on the resultant effect, and visulized it happening, willing it to be reality. If it were lightining one was trying to create, one thought about lightining, concentrating on seeing it appear. She had been taught that the materia itself was just an amplifier, and it was the person's will that actually did the deed. Each different materia was just better at amplifying a different wavelength of human will, and therefore was better at creating a particular effect.

The problem was, she had no idea how to visualize a wormhole. She had never seen one, she had no idea what one would look like. She had asked Ellengio about this before they had lifted off, and he had told her it was like a hole in space, just visualize it anyway she wanted to that made that clear. The form didn't matter, it was the effect that counted.

She had never tried anything like that before, and she hoped he was right. But now that she thought about it, how was one to visualize a hole in space? Space was nothing to begin with, how could there be a hole in nothing?

The air about them seemed much warmer than when they had started, and the tingling sensation had increased, until now she felt like her whole body was trembling. But even so she did not see the familar glow, or feel the buildup of power beneath her hands. She knew what she was doing so far was not enough, she had to focus her thoughts more clearly.

But she found that no matter how she concentrated, she couldn't focus on nothing. She had to have some kind of picture in her mind, she had to have something to concentrate on.

The wormhole was a hole in space, but there must be another way to picture it. It was also their way of getting from one point in the universe to another. It was a kind of gateway that opened up and let them through. Like a doorway. You opened it up and passed through to somewhere else.

It seemed kind of silly to picture a door in space, but that was exactly what she did. Ellengio had said the form didn't matter, as long as it worked in similar fashion to the wormhole. A doorway was something she could easily picture, and passing through it took one from one place to another, just like the wormhole.

Her brow furrowed, concentrating on picturing a door opening. And not just any door. She thought back to the house she grew up in. The thick wooden door of Elmyra's home. She had opened it a thousand times, she knew every detail of it's surface and every knick and crack.

The heat suddenly intensified, and she felt sweat beading on her brow. And suddenly she felt the power emenating from the materia. Again her hand almost jerked back, for she hadn't felt anything even remotely like this since she had used the supermateria that Quays had created. She could feel wave after wave washing through her, and suddenly darkness fell all around them. The light faded rapidly away until she could barely make out the form of Ellengio sitting silently across from her. For a moment she didn't know what was happening, but then she realized that the black materia was glowing, enveloping them in it's dark light.

The darkness increased, until she could no longer see Ellengio at all. In fact, after a few moments the darkness became absolute. It was as if her eyesight had suddenly been taken away. There was no hint of light, no shadow, nothing at all. She had never known such darkness, and she felt suddenly fearful.

The power ebbed, and she realized her concentration had faltered. Once more she forced herself to relax, shutting out everything else. She closed her eyes, finding it more natural in the darknes. The doorway, she had to think only of the doorway.

She felt like she was burning up. Her whole body trembled. She had to fight not to pull away, retreat from the black materia and the power that was flowing out of it. It seemed vast, untamable. How could one person harness such power?

But it was not just one person. She was not alone. Even though she could not see him, she could feel Ellengio's presense. With darkness all around her, the feeling was reassuring.

Suddenly the temperature shot up, and she felt white hot pain scorching through her veins. She heard herself cry out, and then the pain was gone. And she knew the materia had released. They had done it! The power diminished but it did not fade entirely. She opened her eyes.Ellengio sat before her in the room, his hair matted and sweat dripping from his brow. Aeris felt a sudden flush of elation, but she quickly composed herself. They had opened the door, but it was not over yet. Ellengio had explained that they had to stay focused on the materia until the ship had passed through the wormhole. Only that way could they be sure they reached the proper destination.

She tried to hold her concentration on the door, on picturing it wide open. Her hands were trembling violently now, and she realized that the strength she had used to use the black materia had left her exhausted, and she had a terrible time keeping them locked on Ellengio's. She felt herself starting to slip to the floor from her sitting position, and had to struggle to force herself to hold her position. She felt completely spent.

They sat there, unmoving, staring down at the materia in their hands for what seemed like ages. Over and over again Aeris felt herself slipping away, wanting nothing more than to lie down on the ground and close her eyes, and each time her body shuddered and protested as she forced herself to remain in place. The muscles in her arms and shoulders were screaming in protest. It seemed like they had been here for hours, for days. Surely it couldn't take them this long to pass through the wormhole?

And then her whole body shuddered. There was a sudden feeling of disorientation, and then it seemed as if her mind went numb. The ship was spinning around, and she couldn't get it to stop, didn't even try in fact. She could see her hands, but she couldn't feel them anymore. The world was starting to fade away, and there was nothing she could do about it. She knew this was unnatural, and she felt she should fight against it, but she was too tired, to exhausted from her previous struggles. She didn't even feel the floor as she slowly sank down onto it, and the last thing she saw was her hands slipping off of Ellengio's, before the world faded out into darkness.

* * *

"Altim?" Zack said in surprise.

"I'm afraid so," Altim replied. He and Amanda had been ushered into the control room by Vincent, with Yuffie bringing up the rear.

"Amanda!" Barret shouted angrily. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Amanda pointedly looked down at the floor and said nothing.

"They were hiding in the cargo bay," Vincent stated.

Barret got up and stalked over to stand in front of Amanda, who refused to look up at him.

"Of all the hare brained things to do!" he shouted. "What the hell do you think this is, some kind of picnic we're going on here? This is dangerous. Do you know what kind of trouble you're going to cause us? Do you hae any idea? I don't believe this!"

"I'm sorry," Amanda said softly. "I just didn't want to be left behind."

"Oh that's just great," Barret replied. He suddenly turned to look at Yuffie.

"And I suppose you knew about this all along," he accused. "In fact, I'll bet this was all your idea, wasn't it?"

Yuffie looked indignent.

"I had no idea she was going to do this!" she said. "I had nothing to do with it."

"Likely story," Barret snorted. "You trying to tell me Amanda came up with this idea all on her own?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you," Yuffie retorted.

"Ha," Barret said in obvious disbelief. "Of all the stupid things to do. And now what are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to get Amanda to safety? We're going to have to turn around, and do you know how badly that will screw up our plans?"

"No," Amanda cried out. "You can't turn around. I want to go with you. You can't take me back, I won't let you!"

"Now listen here," Barret yelled. "No one here is interested in your opinion. It's too dangerous for you to come with us!"

Tifa came up beside Barret and took hold of his arm. He turned toward her angrily.

"Barret, calm down," she said. "No one's happy to see Amanda here, but I don't think there's anything we can do about it now. It's too late to turn back, she's going to have to come whether we like it or not."

Barret opened his mouth, and the shut it again. He looked around angrily, his gaze falling last on Cloud. Barret could tell from the looks on all their faces that what Tifa was saying was true.

"I don't believe this!" he finally growled. He turned around and looked at the two stowaways again.

"And what about you?" he said, staring at Altim. "Who the hell are you and where did you come from?"

"His name is Altim," Zack said, looking at the boy thoughtfully. "He was a member of Bennis' gang. The last I saw him was in Midgar. How did you manage to end up here?"

"It's kind of a long story," Altim replied. He explained how he had happened to come across them in Wutai, and how he had followed them and snuck into Lord Godo's house and overheard their plans.

"So was it you who erased the computer program?" Lai Li interrupted.

Altim gave her a puzzled look.

"What?"

Lai Li explained what had happened with the computer. When she had finished Altim shook his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he stated. "All I did was listen, and then I left right after. I never touched the computer."

"Oh," Lai Li said, sounding disappointed.

"How do we know he's not lying?" Yuffie snapped.

"I'm not!" Altim insisted.

"We don't," Zack said. "But I'm inclined to believe him. From what I know of him from the time we spent together, that isn't something I think he would lie about, unless of course, he had a very good reason."

"I'm not lying," Altim said resignedly.

"Whatever," Cloud cut in. "The problem now is, what do we do with these two?"

"Well, Tifa's right, we can't take them back," Red said. "Even now Ellengio and Aeris are using the black materia. If we turned around now it would be months before we could prepare the rocket to try again."

"So we're stuck with them," Reno said.

"I'm afraid so," Red replied.

"So we're just going to let them get away with it?" Barret said in disgust.

"What else can we do?" Red asked.

"I've got no problem with Amanda," Yuffie said. "But don't tell me you're just going to let Altim over here have the run of the ship now, are you? We don't know the guy from a hole in the wall. How do we know he didn't come along to sabotage this whole operation?"

"To what purpose?" Red questioned. "Are you telling me you think he's an agent of Jenova?"

"Maybe," Yuffie said. "I don't know. Maybe it's something else entirely. The point is, we don't know him, we don't know if we can trust him. We can't just let him wander around."

"So what are you suggesting, that we lock him up someplace?" Cloud asked.

"Yes," she said. "I guess. At least confine him to quarters or something. It's bad enough we got the jerks...er, Turks along with us, do you really want this character running around loose too?"

"Yuffie, do you really think something like that is necessary?" Cloud said. It seemed odd to him that Yuffie would be so adamant about this. She really didn't seem like the type to care.

Cid was sitting in the pilots seat listening to the others. Suddenly an alarm buzzed loudly on the console. He spun around to see that half of the instruments in front of him were going wild. He gripped the controls and slowly brought the ship around, staring out the windshield in front of him.

"They've done it!" he shouted. "The wormhole is open!"

The others fell instantly silent as all eyes turned to look forward. For a moment they saw nothing, but then they realized that the stars were missing from the space in front of them. Instead there was an inky blackness, the outlines vague and indistinct, with the stars right on the edges of it distorted and fuzzy.

Lai Li rushed up to stand directly behind Cid.

"Is that it?" she cried out.

"Uh huh," Cid aknowledged. The dark spot was growing rapidly, and already filled half the field of view in front of them.

"Better get yourselves in your seats," Cid shouted. "Don't know how rough the ride is going to be."

The others quickly sat down, strapping themselves in, the argument about Amanda and Altim forgotten for the moment. There was no longer any talk about turning back.

The blackness continued to grow in front of them, until it was all that could be seen. Cid stared at it, trying to find some hint of light, some possible clue to what lay beyond, but he saw nothing. It was like an inky wall in front of them, a wall they were about to penetrate.

"Here we go!" he shouted.

He could see nothing at all outside the ship now. It was total darkness. He couldn't tell exactly when they would cross the barrier, exactly when they would enter. He sat there unmoving, waiting for some sign, but nothing seemed to happen. He assumed they would be able to tell when they passed through, that they would feel...something. But he really didn't know if that were true. They might just suddenly find themselves on the other side. He found himself holding his breath, waiting for the stars to reappaer in front of him.

And then the lights in the cabin suddenly seemed to dim. The world spun around him, seeming to lose all coherence. He tried to cry out, but his mouth would not move, his muscles refused to obey, and suddenly night descended upon his soul.

And a moment after the ship disappeared into the darkness, the darkness itself winked out of existence.


	14. Over the Edge

CHAPTER XIV

OVER THE EDGE

Aeris opened her eyes to see the void of space. She blinked for a moment, feeling completely disoriented. For a second she couldn't remember where she was or how she had gotten here. Then she realized she was looking out the window in the lounge.

She sat up on the couch, wondering how she had gotten here. The last thing she remembered was being with Ellengio, of collapsing just as they were to about enter the wormhole.

"You're finally awake."

The lights were out in the room, the door to the hallway open just a hair, letting in only a dim light. It made the view outside that much more spectacular, but shrouded the cabin in darkness. She could barely make out Red's dim form on the floor by the window.

"How long..." she said, her voice sounding somehow strange. She still felt exhausted.

"Almost three hours now," Red replied. "We were going to wake you, but Ellengio said you would need the rest before he went to get some himself. You both went through quite an experience, it would seem."

"It certainly was," Aeris replied.

Aeris stood up, grabbing hold of the arm of the couch to steady herself But the rest had done her good and she could feel her strength returning. But she had something more urgent on her mind. Her hands had slipped off of Ellengio's. She remembered that clearly.

"Did we make it?" she asked. "Did we get through?"

Red got to his feet as well.

"Come and see," he replied.

He walked out of the room, Aeris right on his heels. They walked quickly to the command center. Most of the others were already there.

"Aeris, you're finally up," Reeve said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I..." Aeris began, then stopped as she looked at the view ahead of them.

Two large spheres hung suspended in space in front of them. She stared at them, walking up closer until she stood next to the pilot's seat. The closer one was a dull reddish color, though she could see a few patches of blue as well. Covering over most of it was a fine latticework of white, a patchwork quilt of clouds. The planet farther away was a uniform silver in color.

"Grouchoon and Shinialyn," Cid stated.

Aeris slowly reached her hand out to touch the glass in front of her.

"The voice is very strong," she said, "but..."

She looked at the silver planet.

"It's the shield," Ellengio stated. "We can't hear the voice of Shinialyn through the shield."

Aeris stared at the silver planet in front of her, feeling suddenly sad. She knew the shield was necessary to prevent Jenova from escaping, but she couldn't help feel sorry for the planet, cut off from all the others, for all this time.

"Two thousand years," she said softly.

"What?" Cid asked.

Aeris shook her head.

"Nothing," she replied. There was nothing she could do about it. And if fact they were there to make the shield even stronger, and permanent. Somehow she wished there were another way.

"How soon until we reach the planet," she asked. Grouchoon filled most of the view in front of them. It seemed very close.

"We were just about to start landing procedures," Cid told her. "If you would all be kind enough to take your seats?"

The others did as they were told.

"How do we know where to land?" Reeve asked.

"We'll figure that out when we get closer," Cid replied. "Hopefully we'll be able to spot a city or something on the surface."

"We don't want to get too close to one," Cloud pointed out. "Remember, we know for a fact Jenova has reached this planet, and there's a good chance there are still some here. We don't want to come down in a city full of them."

"I realize that," Cid replied. "I won't set us down directly in a city, just close. We don't want to land in the middle of them, but we don't want to be a thousand miles away, either. Ellengio, did the book give you any clues as to where a city might lie?"

"Just in the vaugest terms," Ellengio replied. "They did mention a large city on a cresent shaped continent in the northern hemisphere, but that was thousands of years ago. Who knows how things have changed since then?"

"Well, it's better than nothing," Cid replied.

Slowly the planet drew closer, until it filled the view in front of them completely. They could see the clouds clearly now, and surface details soon became apparent. There were oceans on this planet, but they seemed much smaller than on earth. Large reddish continents covered most of the planet, with only a small patchwork of blue seperating them.

Cid guided the craft down, gliding through the atmosphere. The planet looked smaller than earth, although it was kind of hard to tell, but because the oceans were so small he guessed that the total landmass was greater. For this high up he could see no sign of civilization, and he hoped that the city mentioned in the old book still existed. Unless the planet was heavily populated, it would be nearly impossible to find a city by chance. There was just too much ground to cover. They had to glide in for a landing, they didn't have enough fuel to land under power, so they were going to have to live with wherever they picked to land.

He scanned the planet in front of them, looking for a cresent shaped landmass. He wondered how the planet could have changed in two thousand years. The continents could have shifted in that time, and the landmass might have moved or collided with another one. On earth the movement of continents was a slow process, and not much would happen in two thousand years, but this was another planet. Who knew what kind of plate tetonics they had here, if there was any at all. For all he knew the continents on this planet could be whipping all over the place in that time, or they may never move at all. And even without continental drift, there was always the possibility of natural disasters. A volcanic eruption or a change in sea level could reshape a continent as well.

But his fears proved groudless as a short time later an unmistakably cresent shaped continent appeared on the horizen ahead of them.

"Looks like that's the place," he said.

"It's still pretty big," Elena observed. "Are you sure we're going to be able to find a city?"

"I don't know," Cid replied. "It depends on how heavily populated this place is. We're just not gonna know until we get closer."

The rocket continued to descend. After a few minutes they were over the cresent shaped continent. They were low enough now to make out the humps of mountain ranges and the pale blue of large bodies of water.

Cid inspected the ground below them carefully.

"Everyone keep your eyes open for any sign of civilization," he announced.

"Not likely I'm gonna see much back here," Lai Li responded. Her seat near the back gave her a severly limited view out the window in front of them.

Cid did not respond. They continued to drop lower. Slowly details of the land below them began to appear. The planet appeared to be mostly desert, at least in this area. The ground below them was mostly bare reddish rock, and from the color of the other continents, he suspected it was a worldwide phenomena. As they dropped lower he could see some green patches of vegitation, but they were neither large nor plentiful.

"Doesn't look like a particularly hospitable planet," Vincent commented

No one replied, even though that had been exactly what Cid was thinking himself. It looked like a harsh landscape, and not someplace they would want to wander around in for very long. He hoped more than ever to find some sign of a city.

But as they dropped lower finding a city became secondary to finding an adequate place to land. They needed a relatively flat stetch of land to come down on, and so far the ground below was broken and uneven, totally unsuitable.

He looked around. To their left was a long line of mountains, the same reddish color as the land beneath them, although some were topped with white. To the right there was rolling hills as far as the eye could see. Beneath them he could see jagged canyons as thin lines of blue laced down from the mountain peaks. There was no flat plain in sight.

He was about to turn away from the mountains, thinking there might be a broad plain further to the east, when Ellengio, who was sitting right behind him, pointed to the left.

"What's that?"

Cid looked that way. For a moment he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but then he noticed a thin dark line running towards two folds of the mountian that stretched out in their direction. He probably wouldn't have given the line a second thought except for one thing, it was straight.

"It looks like a road," he stated.

He turned the craft slowly toward the mountains. They flew over one of the protruting arms of the mountain chain below, and immediately saw the outline of what could only be a city below them.

"All right," Cid exclaimed. It had been two thousands years since the book had left this planet, he had secretly feared that they would find a deserted world.

He looked up again.

"Now if we could just find someplace to land."

He looked dubiously at the mountain range, then back at the hills in the other direction. It was more likely they would find a suitable place to land away from the mountains, but that would take them away from the city as well.

"I don't see anyplace to land around here," Cloud commented, again seeming to read Cid's thoughts.

"Neither do I," Cid replied. "But we can't get too far from the city."

"How do we know there's not more cities out on the plain?" Elena asked.

"We don't," Cid replied. "But we know for sure this one's here. If we fly out over the plain and find nothing we won't be able to come back, we'll be too low. I'd rather find someplace to land here, where we know there's a city."

"The land down there is all broken up, you'll never find a place," Reno stated. "And if we stay here much longer, we're not going to have any choice, are we?"

"Nope," Cid said. "Still, I think we should take a look around here first."

Reno shook his head.

"This thing is the only way for us to get back to our planet. If you smash it up on landing, how the hell will get out of here. It's too risky."

"Reno, quite your damn wimpering!" Barret exclaimed. "You've been nothing but trouble and we haven't even landed yet. Why the hell did you come along in the first place?"

"Barrett,what the hell.." Reno started.

Suddenly the ship jerked violently and dropped straight down. Eveyone except Cid was thrown violently against the side of their seat. In a moment the craft had righted itself again.

Cid turned around and stared at them.

"Now that I've got your attention," he said. "I want you all to shut the hell up! I'm the Captain of this goddam ship and I'll land it wherever I goddam please! I don't need any comment from anybody about what I'm doing, and if I hear anymore I'll have you removed from the room and locked up by yourselves until we land, and then you can yap to your hearts content. Now, does anybody here have anytbing more to say?"

He stared at them all for a moment, his eyes smoldering. Reno looked unhappy, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Good," Cid said and turned back forward.

He steered the craft closer to the mountains, getting even closer to the city. He looked it over carefully, watching for any movement, something to prove that the city was inhabited. They had found a sign of civilization, but for all they kenw, this city could have been abandoned hundreds or even thousands of years ago. He saw nothing, but that didn't really prove anything. They were still too high up to see much.

"Umm, I don't want to tell you what to do," Red said extremely politely. "But do you really think it's wise to fly right over the city? If there's someone down there, it's almost sure to attract their attention."

Cid grunted in acknowledgemnt and turned to the west, heading straight toward the mountain range. He had gotten so caught up in trying to spot details in the city, he hadn't realized how close they were getting. They were quite low now, below the peaks of the moutains ahead of them. They would be quite obvious to anyone if they flew over the city.

Suddenly he spotted a wide plateau on the mountain ahead of them, about halfway up the slope. Immediately he steered toward it, looking it over critically. It was hard to tell from this far away, but it looked promising.

As they came closer he could see that it appeared flat enough. He hesitated for a moment, looking over the length. He was pretty sure it was long enough, but was pretty sure good enough? Reno had been right when he said the rocket was there only ticket out of here. He couldn't afford to make a mistake.

He stared at is as he approached, trying to gauge it's length. It became easier to tell as they got closer. He made up his mind.

"All right, I see a place to land," he announced. "Everyone get ready. I don't know how bumpy this is going to get."

The others looked out the window, spotting the plateau immediately. Reno glared at Cid, but kept his mouth shut.

Cid brought the craft around until he was approaching from the south, giving them the longest distance for the landing. The ground was approaching rapidly now, and they could see the plateau clearly. There was a large derpession in the center.

"Shit," Cid muttered.

"What is it?" he heard Tifa ask nervously.

He didn't reply. They were commited now. They were too low to change their mind. He could see that the depression did not cover the entire plateau, the land on either side of it was level, though narrow. He glanced back and forth from one side to the other, trying to decide which had more room. If he picked wrong they could end up going over the side or smashing into the mountain. He only had seconds to decide now.

He let the rocket drift to the right, towards the edge. Suddenly the craft rocked below them as the wheels touched down. They bounced jarringly a few more times, the edge of the chasm so close that they could not see the plateau below them on the right side.

"Oh Gawd!" he heard Yuffie lament.

The ship was shaking violently. The ground that had looked smooth from above was actually littered with samll rocks and cracks, and it took all his strength to keep the ship under control. They passed by the depression, throwing up a cloud of dust behind them, and Cid pulled away from the edge as the craft slowed down. A few moments later they came to a halt.

"Damn," Cloud exclaimed. "Did you have to come so close to the edge?"

Cid turned toward them and cast Cloud a baleful glance.

"I knew exactly what I was doing," he replied, even though the white around his knuckles and the sweat on his brow plainly contridicted that statement.

"Well, you did it, that's what counts," Ellengio said as they unstrapped themselves from their seats.

"How far do you think we are from that city?" Zack asked.

"Hard to say," Cid replied. "Maybe ten, fifteen miles. Not exactly a stroll in the park, but it could have been a lot worse."

Lai Li came forward and looked out the front of the ship at the land around them. The mountain rose up on their left, with the plains below on their right.

"I don't see anything moving," she commented.

"What did you expect to see?" Cid asked.

"I wasn't expecting to see anything," she replied. "I was hoping to see some sign of animal life."

Cid looked out the window again.

"Well, we just got here," he replied. "And the land around here doesn't look all that hospitable."

"There are plenty of places on earth like this that are teeming with life," Lai Li countered.

"True," Ellengio said, coming up beside them. "But it may be that out landing here has chased everything away for the moment. I'm sure we made quite an impact."

Lai Li nodded and looked at the others.

"So what are we waiting for. Let's go take a look around."

"Not so fast," Red warned. "This is another planet. We have no idea what kind of dangers await us. We can't just go rushing out willy nilly."

"Yeah," Yuffie said, looking out the window. "How do we even know we can breath out there?"

"The Cetra were here two thousand years ago, and they could breath," Lai Li pointed out. "I don't think the atmosphere could change in that short a period of time."

"Probably true," Ellengio replied. "But there are other dangers. Red's right. Cloud, why don't you take a few people out to scout around, just to get the lay of the land and a general idea of what we might be up against."

Cloud nodded and looked around for a moment.

"Cait, Tifa, Barret, Vincent and Elena, come with me," he said.

"I'll go too," Reno volunteered.

"If he's going, I'm going also," Yuffie immediately spoke up.

"I want to go too," Amanda added.

"You'll do no such thing," Barret snapped.

"Stop telling me what to do!" Amanda protested.

"Oh not again!" Cloud exclaimed. "The choice has been made, I'm not going to change it. So everyone quit your arguing."

"Since when did this turn into a dictatorship?" Reno questioned.

"Since we lifted off," Cid snapped. "The Captain of a ship has wide authortity over what happens on board the ship. The decision has been made and you're going to have to live with it. And don't try getting out on your own because no one is going to get out that door without my okay."

Reno glared around him again.

"Oh let it go, Reno," Elena spoke up. "Give us all a break."

Reno folded his arms acorss his chest and gave her a sour look.

"I'm begining to wish I hadn't come," he replied.

"Join the crowd," Barret muttered.

"All right, let's get going," Cloud stated.

He walked out of the room, those who were going with him right behind. They stepped into the airlock and the door closed behind them. Barret looked around nervously.

"Are you sure about this air thing?" he questioned.

"We'll find out in a minute," Cloud said calmly. "All right Cid, you can open her up."

There was a rumbling sound and the outer door swung open. For a moment they all stood there, not knowing what to expect. Then a light breeze blew around them. The air was hot and had an unusual musty order. Cloud took a deep breath and looked at the others.

"Well, looks like we're going to live," he commented.

He stepped out of the craft and down the metal stairway, the others right behind him. The first thing that struck them was the heat. It was uncomfortably warm, and they could feel the sun burning down on their head and shoulders as they descended the stairway. At the bottem their feet kicked up puffs of dust as they stepped onto the ground.

Tifa shaded her eyes and looked around.

"So where do we go from here, oh fearless leader?"

Cloud glared at her.

"Don't you start too," he said.

He walked over to the edge of the precipice and looked down at the land below. He could see the gleam of the sun off the buildings of the city off to the left.

"I guess we should try to find a path down towards the city," he said seriously. "C'mon."

Tifa took a look back at the ship to see Cid, Amanda, and Aeris watching them. She waved and pointed in the direction they were going to go, then started off after the others.

Amanda watched them until they disappeared from sight around a bend, then she turned and walked out of the room. Aeris came up beside her.

"I don't know why he thinks he can tell me what to do," Amanda muttered.

"Don't let it bother you," Aeris advised.

"But he treats me like a little kid!" Amanda stated.

Aeris laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Look, I admit Barret can be a hothead, and that can lead to some bad decisions, but I'm afraid this isn't one of them."

Amanda turned toward her.

"What do you mean?" she said, a hint of anger in her blue eyes. "Are you saying you agree with him?"

"No, I'm not saying that," Aeris replied quickly. "But have you ever stopped to think why he's acting this way?"

"Because he thinks he can tell me what to do," Amanda snapped. "He thinks he's the big boss, just like in Corel."

Aeris shook her head.

"I don't think so," she said. "I've know Barret a long time, and he's not like that. He gave up the leadership of Avalanche as soon as he realized Cloud would do a better job. He took over as Mayor of Corel because he wanted to help rebuild the city. He's not trying to boss you around."

"Well then what else could it be?" Amanda asked.

"It's very simple really," Aeris replied. "He doens't want to see you get hurt. He's concerned about you."

Amanda looked puzzled, then shook her head.

"But why would he be concerned about me?" she questioned. "He doesn't even _know_ me?"

Aeris shrugged.

"That's just the way he is," she replied. "Once you get to know him he's really just a big teddy bear. For all his faults, he can be a really nice guy."

Amanda still looked puzzled, and even more upset then before.

"What's wrong?" Aeris asked.

"Nothing," Amanda said quickly. She stood there looking at Aeris for a long time. "How...how long have you known Barret?"

"Since I met up with Avalanche," Aeris replied. "Almost three years ago."

"And in all that time he never..."

Aeris looked at her curiously.

"Never what?"

Amanda shook her head.

"Nothing. Forget it. I guess I'm just still upset. I really wanted to go with them."

"I know," Aeris replied. "I kind of wanted to go myself, but they're right, on a mission like this there have to rules. It's too dangerous for us to go running around as we please. I'm sure we'll all get a chance when the time comes."

Amanda gave her a rueful smile.

"I hope so."

* * *

"There looks like a way down over here," Vincent said.

The others walked over to him. They were on a wide ledge about a hundred feet below the plateau the rocket rested on. Cloud looked down at the slope below them. It looked too steep to climb.

"Where?"

"That way," Vincent said, pointing ahead. The mountain faced east where they were standing, but a short distance ahead it curved to the left and faced north, and that was where Vincent was pointing. "That looks like a trail."

Now that he had pointed it out, they could all plainly see the yellow dirt path that wended it's way down the mountain in front of them.

"Looks like somebody comes here sometimes," Cloud commented. "And it can't be too long ago. That path wouldn't last two thousand years."

"Somebody, or something," Barret said.

"But there's no trail to it from here," Tifa pointed out. "How are we supposed to get to it?"

Vincent looked up at the slopes above them.

"It looks like we can climb up here," he mused. "That looks like a ledge up there. I think we can get to it from that."

The others followed his gaze.

"I think you're right," Cloud said. "Let's go."

Barret shook his head.

"Climb down, climb up. I wish we'd make up our minds," he muttered.

They started up the slope. The ground was rough and uneven, with no trail, and at first it was very difficult. It took them nearly a half hour to make it up the thirty meters to the ledge above. But once there things became easier. The ledge led them along a narrow gorge with a sheer drop, but the ground was level and they had no trouble. A short time later they reached the path. It was narrow and wandered seemingly at random along the slope, but it quite clearly lead downward.

"How far are we going to go?" Cait asked.

"Not sure," Cloud replied.

"We're not going to go all the way down to the city, are we?" Elena asked.

"No," Cloud replied. "We're just here to take a look around and find a way down, and to see if there's anything dangerous lurking around. We'll wait until the others are with us before we go down there."

"Doesn't look like there's anything alive up here, much less dangerous," Barret observed.

"There's plenty of life," Vincent countered. "Look at those plants."

He pointed to a group of odd looking shrubs clinging to the almost vertical face of mountainside a short distance away.

"I don't mean those," Barret said. "I mean animals. Plants aren't dangerous."

"We don't know that," Vincent countered. "For all we know, those plants could be deadly it we got near them."

Barret looked at him skeptically.

"Besides, something made this trail," Cloud pointed out. "And I don't think that was a plant."

"Whatever," Barret said, unhappy with the way the discussion was going.

They lapsed into silence. Moving further down the trial, they came to an area where the plants grew rather close to the path. Tifa looked at them as they walked by. They had unusually thick stems and many very small leaves, none of which seemed to be the same shape. Though they were very odd looking, they were clearly recognizable as plants. The land around them was mountainous, and the reddish rock reminded her of Cosmo Canyon. She looked up. The sky was pale blue, the sun burning with a yellow light above them. If she didn't know better, she could almost get herself to believe that they were in some exotic location on earth, and not on another planet at all. There was nothing here that was so unusual that it stood out as proof that they had left their home far behind.

A movement in the sky attracted her attention. She squinted in the sunlight. She could clearly see something moving in the air up near the mountaintop.

"Look at that," she exclaimed, pointing.

The others looked up immediately, shading their eyes from the glare. It took them a moment to spot what she was pointing out.

"It's only a bird," Barret said dismissively.

"It's the first sign of fauna," Vincent commented, making it sound very significant.

Cloud moved over closer to the cliff face, trying to get a better view. The creature was circling lazily in the air high above them, almost directly in the sun. It was difficult to get a good view. Suddenly the creature dived down, and in a moment had disappeared from view.

"I don't think it was a bird," he stated slowly. "The wings were more batlike, I think."

"Mabye that's what birds look like around here," Barret said.

"Perhaps," Cloud replied.

"It looked pretty big," Elena said slowly.

"I got the same impression, but it's kind of hard to tell at a distance," Cloud said.

They watched the sky for a few minutes more, but saw no further sign of the creature.

"Well, at least we know for sure now that there are animals here," Cloud said. "Let's move on."

The started down the trail once again. The sun was high in the sky now, and they all felt it beating down on their backs. Even though they were going down hill and the trail was easy to follow, they were all sweating.

"I don't know how much further you want to go," Vincnet said. "But keep in mind it's going to be much more difficult going back up."

Cloud nodded and looked up at the sun. It was almost directly overhead. They were probably just heading into the afternoon, often the hottest part of the day on earth. He hoped it didn't get much warmer.

He pointed ahead.

"Let's just go down to the bend in the trail. I think it'll give us a better view of the city below. Then we'll start back."

"Sounds good to me," Barret agreed.

Ahead the mountainside curved to the right, away from them. The slope above them had erroded away here, littering the path with rocks and debris, making footing hazardous. At the bend itself a large boulder, a darker color than the rocks around it, almost completely blocked the path.

They picked there way carefully through the debris until they reached the bend. But just as Cloud was passing the boulder it suddenly moved. He turned toward it in surprise and saw gleaming eyes and a snapping jaw lunging for him.

With catlike reflexes he dodged out of the way. He heard Tifa cry out in surprise. He rolled along the ground and then lept back to his feet, pulling his sword out in one fluid motion. The boulder was not a boulder at all, but the creatures shell, an almost perfect disguise among the rocks of the mountain. Cloud was immediately reminded of a turtle, but the beast itself beneath the shell was more lizardlike, yet it moved shockingly quickly straight at the group. Cloud had barely managed to get out of it's way, but Cait, who had been hehind him, was not so lucky, and the creatures jaws clamped down on him.

There were shouts from the others, and then a loud blast as Barret opened up with his gun. The bullets hit the shell and richoceted all over the place.

"You're going to hit one of us!" Tifa yelled as a bullet glanced off a rock beside her.

The creature ignored the attack, shaking Cait's body visciously in it's jaws, all the while Cait was pounding with his fists on it's head.

Cloud sprang forward, lashing out with his sword. It hit the shell with a crack, and rebounded so quickly that it almost flew from his hands. The creature totally ignored the blow.

"You can't get at it through the shell," he called out. "You've got to hit it underneath!"

Vincent had manuvered himself in front of the creature, the Death Penalty in his hands, trying to get a clear shot at the creatures head, but Cait, through no fault of his own, was in the way. Vincent lowered his sight and fired, and the bullet penetrated the creatures leg.

With a roar the creature spat out Cait, sending him tumbling down the trail. Just as it did so fire from Elena's materia flashed around it.

It roared again. Barret fired at it's legs from the side, while Vincent hit it near the neck. At the same time it was struck by ligtning from a materia held by Tifa.

The beast screamed in agony and stumbled, then lunged forward in one last dying attempt to get at it's tormenters, straight at Elena. She tried to scramble out of the way, but the footing was treacherous, and she slipped on the rocks and fell to her knees. The creature slammed into her and she was thrown backward. She landed right at the edge of the slope, but the rocks around her were loose and the slope angled downward where she landed. She slid down further, heading straight for the edge of the cliff.

Her hands flew out, trying to dig into the slope, but the rocks just came loose in her grip. She looked up at them, a panic sticken look on her face as she slid closer to the edge, gaining speed as she went. A moment later she plummeted over the edge, with only a scream echoing up behind her.

For a split second no one moved. It had happened so fast, no one had had a chance to react. They all just stood there, staring at the place where Elena had disappeared in disbelief.

Vincent stood there for a moment with the others, then he suddenly let out a straggled cry. Cloud had never heard a sound like that from Vincent before, from any human before. It was filled with agony and grief, inhumanly sorrowful. A moment later the cry had changed to a roar, losing any semblence of humanity as Vincent transformed. The huge chaos beast roared again, but even that was different, even transformed his voice was filled with grief and loss. The beast spread it's wings and shot into the sky.

"Vincent!" Tifa shouted. But the beast flew on, disappearing into the canyons below.

For a long time they all stood there in silence, shocked at what had befallen them. Then slowly, almost mechanically Cloud carefully made his way to the edge where Elena had fallen and looked down for a moment. Tifa came up slowly behind him.

"Is there any chance..."

Cloud shook his head.

"It's a thousand foot drop," he said in a tight voice. "No one could have survived."


	15. The Red Cliffs of Grouchoon

CHAPTER VXI

THE RED CLIFFS OF GROUCHOON

"They're coming back!" Amanda said.

Aeris rushed up to stand beside her. She could see the others outside, walking slowly toward the spacecraft. She frowned.

"They're not all there," she said slowly. "Where's Vincent and Elena?"

"We'll know in a few minutes," Cid replied, and edge of concern in his voice.

The party outside made their way toward the rocket. Though they were walking swiftly, it seemed to Aeris that it took them an agonizingly long time to reach the ship, and practically forever for Cid to open the door and get them through the airlock. But finally she heard quick steps on the metial planking of the deck and they walked into the room. Immediately Aeris could tell that something wrong. All their faces were pale, and Tifa had tears in her eyes.

"What happened?" Aeris asked apprehensively. "Where are the others?"

For a moment no one spoke. Aeris looked at Tifa, but she just turned away.

"Vincent transformed and flew off, we don't know where," Cloud said grimly. "Elena...Elena is gone."

"Gone, what do you mean, gone?" Reno questioned.

"Gone," Cloud repeated, as if he couldn't say it any other way. "She went over the cliff."

"Over the cliff?" Aeris said. "You mean..."

She looked at Cloud in horror. He just lowered his head and nodded.

"Elena's dead?" Reno said in disbelief.

Cloud did not reply, and the room fell silent.

"Are you sure?" Reno questioned.

"We're sure," Barret spoke for the first time. "She went over the cliff Reno."

"Did you see her body?" Reno aksed, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"It would have taken hours to climb down there, if we could find our way at all," Cloud said haltingly. "It was a sheer drop, hundreds of feet. She couldn't possibly have survived."

"Could Vincent have caught her?" Amanda asked.

Cloud shook his head slowly.

"It took us a few moments to even realize what had happened. Then a few seconds for him to transform. By the time it was complete, she would have already reached the bottom. He couldn't have saved her."

"How could let this happen?" Reno said coldly, staring at Cloud.

"There was nothing we could do," Cloud said defensively. "We were attacked by a monster. It looked like a rock and took us by surprise. After we had nearly killed it it lunged into the group, right at Elena. It knocked her off the cliff before we had a chance to do anything. It all happened in a second. We couldn't help her."

"You couldn't help her? Just how hard did you try?" Reno said, his voice thick with accusation.

"Cloud's telling the truth," Barret snapped. "There was nothing we could do. You don't think we would have saved Elena if we had a chance?"

"Sticking up for him again?" Reno remarked savagely. "You're still Cloud's little croney, I see. Some things never change. Funny how it was Elena, the only one of you who wasn't a member of Avalanche, who ending up going over the edge. Can you really tell me you did everything possible for her, Cloud, oh yea of the legendary quick reflexes? Wonder if it would have turned out the same had it been your precious Tifa that had gotten in the monster's way."

"I told you there was nothing we could do," Cloud stated angrily. "There was no time to react."

"No time for you, maybe, but if I had been there, maybe I could have done something."

"It wouldn't have made any difference," Barret cut in. "You wouldn't have been able to help her either."

"How do you know that?" Reno spate out. "I might have been able to help her, but Cloud didn't give me a chance."

He looked at Cloud again.

"You were in charge of the mission. It's your responsibility that she died. As far as I'm concerned, you're as guilty as if you killed her with your own hands."

Cloud's eyes clouded with anger. He drew his hand behind his head and slid his sword out of it's sheath.

"I've had just about enough of your bullshit!" he exclaimed.

Reno lifted his nightstick from his belt.

"You've always been a big man hiding behind that sword," he snapped.

Cloud looked down at the sword for a second, then back at Reno. A moment later the sword clattered to the ground.

"I don't need that to take on the likes of you!" Cloud exclaimed.

Reno smiled coldly and pointed the nightstick at Cloud. With a growl Barret took a step forward, and Zack shouted a warning. But then the nightstick dropped to the ground.

"Let's see what you've got," Reno said, raising his fists.

Cloud lunged forward. Behind him he heard Tifa yelling for them to stop, but he was no longer paying any attention. Reno had been a pain in the ass since he had joined them, but this time he had gone too far. This time he was going to get what he deserved.

Cloud struck at Reno, who quickly brought his own hand up, blocking the blow. Reno struck back with his other hand. Cloud ducked, and the blow hit him in the forehead instead of the chin, but still it stunned him for a second. Reno struck quickly three more times, setting Cloud back on his heels. He hadn't expected the quickness of Reno's attack. Actually, if he had thought about it, he would have realized it had been years since he had gotten into a fist fight. He had been training with his sword for so long now, he had nearly forgotten how to use his fists. As a Turk, Cloud knew Reno had been trained in all forms of combat. Unwittingly, Cloud had given Reno the edge.

Another blow clipped him on the jaw, making his head spin for a moment. He dodged backwards, then suddenly lunged forward, catching Reno off guard. Reno might have had more experience, but Cloud was a fast learner, and had quicker reflexes. Reno's next blow glanced harmless off his shoulder as Cloud moved inside and jabbed at Reno's stomach, feeling the blow land solidly. Reno bent forward, and Cloud brought his left around and felt it hit the side of Reno's head. Reno staggered back. Cloud immediately went after him, but suddenly found his forward progress stopped as someone wrapped their arms around him. He twisted round to see Zack.

"Let go!" Cloud shouted.

Reno, seeing Cloud helpless in Zack's grasp, pulled back his fist, but just as he was about to bring it forward he suddenly felt someone grab hold of it and pull him back as well. Rude wrapped his other arm around Reno's neck and shoulders, effectively pinning him as well.

"What are you doing?" Reno exclaimed angrily.

Ellengio stepped between them.

"That's enough of this nonsense!" he said sternly. "What is the matter with you two?' We've got enough problems without this. Don't any of you realize the seriousness of our situation? We're on an alien planet. We know Jenova is here, but we have no idea of it's strength. For all we know the entire planet could be against us and what do we end up doing? Fighting amongst ourselves! Can you get it through your thick heads for just a moment that we are here to save our planet? If we do not succeed Jenova could return to earth, next year, in fifty years, in a thousand years. And next time they might succeed. Do you want us all to becomes slaves to Jenova? Or our children? Do you want our planet to be taken over by Jenova all because we couldn't get along long enough to complete our mission here? I brought you all along because you were good fighters and I thought you were mature enough to put the mission first, before your petty squabbling. Don't you see that what you are doing is playing right into our enemies hands?"

Reno and Cloud stood glaring at one another. Ellengio looked back and forth between them until they both turned away.

"I want you both to agree that there will be no more of this until our mission is complete," Ellengio said.

There was silence.

"Well?" Ellengio demanded.

"All right," Cloud said, obviously having a difficult time producing the words.

Ellengio stared at the red haired man.

"Reno?"

Reno remained silent, knowing he was going to have to agree but loath to say the words.

"Reno?" Ellengio said again, an edge in his voice.

"Very well," Reno spate out.

Ellengio stared at both of them for a moment more, then nodded.

"All right, you can let them go."

* * *

"Where'd you learn how to fight?"

"Whatdyamean?" Cloud asked.

Tifa placed the cool wet rag against the bruise on Cloud's forehead.

"Just what I said," she replied. "Where'd you learn how to fight? Cause I gotta tell you, that was pretty pathetic. You started out with a roudhouse, a blow that you telegraphed from about a mile away. Reno could have taken all day and blocked that."

"It's a little late to tell me now," Cloud grumbled.

"Well, if you would have warned me ahead of time that you were going to go off half cocked on Reno like that, I could have given you a few lessons first," she replied.

"It was kind of a spur of the moment thing," Cloud admitted.

"Well, next time you have the urge to do something spur of the moment like that, might I suggest that instead you stick your head under a faucet and turn on the cold water?"

Cloud shook his head.

"Thanks a lot for the encouragement," he said. "I thought you were on my side."

"I am," she replied. "But Ellengio was right. That was a stupid thing to do. You know Reno was just trying to bait you, and you let him get to you."

"I know," Cloud said. "I'm sorry. He just seems to know exactly what to say to get under your skin."

"Well, you've just got to learn how to ignore it," Tifa said.

She took the rag off his forehead and eyed the injury critically.

"You're going to have a bruise there for a few days, but it's not serious."

"So I'm going to live?"

"As long as you behave yourself from now on," Tifa replied. "I think Reno's going to have a black eye."

Cloud smiled in spite of himself.

"I did get a few good shots in in the end there, didn't I?"

"You got lucky," she replied. "You caught him by surprise."

His smile quickly disappeared.

"You're taking all the fun out of this."

"That's the idea," she replied. "All right, you're all done."

They walked back to the control room. Most of the others had left the room, but Cid and Ellengio were still there. Cloud looked at Ellengio.

"So what happens now?" he asked.

Ellengio looked out at the planet thoughtfully.

"The mission goes on," he replied. "We've just arrived and already we've suffered a serious setback, but no matter how we feel, we can't let that stop us. This mission is more important than any one of us individually. It's probably too late to do anything further today. But tomorrow we'll have to send out another party to scout out the city below, and maybe a second party to hunt for Vincent. I don't like the idea of him wandering around out there on his own. In the condition he's in, he'd probably be better off if he were with us. We don't need to lose him too."

"He might come back on his own," Cid suggested, not very hopefully.

"That would make things much simpler, but I don't have much hope for it," Ellengio replied.

"Don't you think it would be better if we all stick together?" Cid asked.

Ellengio paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"I think it's important we find Vincent as soon as possible, but I also don't think we should waste any time finding out about that city below us. I don't think splitting into two groups will be unwise, but we should leave some people here as well. I don't think it would be a good idea to leave the ship unguarded."

"So three groups then?" Tifa said.

"Yes," Ellengio replied. "Cloud, you'll have to decide who goes where again."

"Maybe you should do it this time," Cloud said hesitantly. "It looks like my choices didn't turn out too well the first time."

"Nonsense," Ellengio countered. "You did fine, and there was nothing you could have done about what happened, in spite of what Reno may have said. All of the others trust you."

Cloud lowered his head. Ellengio's words made him feel a little bit better, but not much. Reno's words had rubbed him raw, probably because he thought there might be some truth to them. It had been his decison who went out, and he was in charge of the group. He couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for what had happened to Elena.

He looked outside. The sun had dropped below the horizen, and he could see stars appearing in the sky above. He looked up at them for a moment. It didn't look much different from the view from earth, and he wasn't very familar with the constellations, but he could tell something was not right. The stars up there were alien to him, just like everything else around them. They were truely far from home.

* * *

"Time to get up."

Cloud opened his eyes to see Tifa standing beside him, already dressed.

"Damn," he muttered, stretching his arms and yawning. "Is it daylight already? I fell like I just went to sleep."

"It wasn't that long ago," Tifa replied. "Ellengio said that this planet spins faster than the earth, completing a revolution in only sixteen hours instead of twenty four. The night was only eight hours long."

Cloud sat up and shook the sleep away.

"I have a feeling that's going to take some getting used to," he replied.

"Yeah," Tifa agreed. "It also means that there are only about eight hours of daylight before it gets dark again, so Ellengio said we should be off as soon as possible. Have you decided who's going with what group?"

"I guess," Cloud replied, not sounding very enthusiastic. "We'll take Aeris, Zack, Reeve and Reno with us to explore the city. Ellengio can take Barret, Cait, Yuffie and Altim to go look for Vincent. That means Cid, Red, Nipala, Rude, Lai Li, and Amanda stay behind."

Tifa stood there for a moment pondering this.

"Intersting choice," she commented. "Are you sure you want Reno with us. After what happened yesterday, I would think you would want to get as far away from him as possible."

"Yeah, well I figure Reno's better off with us. This way I can keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't stir up any more trouble."

"Just make sure you're not the one doing the stirring," she commented.

"Don't worry, I've learned my lesson," he replied. "I'd like to keep Aeris with us too, just to keep an eye on her as well. I don't want her to get in any trouble either. And I figured Zack and Reeve would help keep an eye on her as well."

"I suppose," Tifa said slowly.

"And Cid's gotta stay here," Cloud continued. "As the only one who can get us out of here, he's someone we can't afford to lose. Amanda and Lai Li are inexperienced, and I don't want them put in dangerous situations unless absolutely necessary, and if something happens to all of us, it'll be better if Red remains here because I know he'll be able to think things through calmly and rationally. And Rude is pretty level headed too."

She looked at him closely.

"Looks like you've put a lot of thought into this," he stated. "I'm impressed."

"Thanks," he replied.

Tifa left to help cook breakfast while Cloud finished getting ready. Fifteen minuted later he was in the mess hall with the others, hastily wolfing down the meal of eggs and pancakes that Tifa and some of the others had prepared. As they ate he explained how they were going to be broken up. Some of the others looked unhappy about it, especially Reno, but no one objected.

"Just what is it we're going to be looking for?" Reeve questioned. "I mean, suppose that city down there is filled with these Jenova creatures?"

"We need information," Ellengio said. "We know the shield generator is hidden somewhere on this planet. We have to find out where."

"But hasn't Jenova been searching for it all this time?" Lai Li asked. "They've had almost two thousand years to look. If they can't find it in that time, what makes you think we'll have any chance at all?"

"Did it make any mention of it in that book?" Barret questioned.

"No, not that I can find," Ellengio replied. "But there were other people who knew. The Cetra and some of the Chadara. I'm assuming that there will still be some of them around, and they may have had the information passed down from their ancestors, keeping it hidden from Jenova all this time."

"So you think there still may be some Cetra here?" Aeris said, her eyes wide with surprise. The thought had obviously not occured to her.

"It was something that I had hoped for," Ellengio said. "I've felt soemthing since we landed, but it's too vague to tell anything about. It may be Cetra, or just the different feel of this planet. Have you felt anything, Aeris?"

She shook her head.

"No, just the planet itself. But I'm only half Cetra. We already knew that you are more sensitive to such things than I."

Ellengio nodded.

"Well, anyway, I think what we need to do is try to find some allies. If not Cetra, then at least some Chadara. Hopefully they may be ahle to tell us something."

"We don't even know if the Chadara exist anymore," Zack pointed out. "For all we know, Jenova could have wiped out both the Cetra and the Chadara centuries ago."

"True," Ellengio said. "And in that case our job will be much tougher. But we won't know by sitting here. We've got to go down to the city and see."

He stood up and looked around, seeing that everyone was just about finished with their meal.

"I think it's time to get going," he stated. "We don't have a lot of daylight, so the sooner we're off, the better."

The others got up as well, and all those leaving headed for the airlock. When the door opened once more on the outside world Cloud thought it felt a little cooler than yesterday. He glanced up at the sky to see the sun just peeking over the peaks behind them. It was still early, and it would probably get just as hot as yesterday in a few hours. It would be best to get as far as they could while the early morning coolness lasted.

They all started down together, following the path the group had traveled the day before. Cloud keep his eyes open, constantly scanning the skies for some sign of Vincent or the creature they had seen in the air yesterday, but he saw nothing but pale blue sky above them. After a short hike they reached the spot where Elena had gone over the edge. The body of the dead rock creature lay where they had left it.

Ellengio walked over to the edge and looked down himself. Then slowly shook his head and came back to them.

"I'm afaid I'll have to agree with your assessment," he stated. "No one could have lived through that fall. There's a pathway over to the left that seems to lead down there. I'll take my group that way now. I'm going to assume that Vincent went down into the gorge. We'll try to get down to the bottom and take a look around."

"All right," Cloud said soberly. Being in the spot were it had all happened made the memory of it that much clearer. Even though Elena had been a Turk and they had fought many times, he really hadn't disliked her. In fact, of all the Turks, he had kind of liked her the most.

"We'll head down to the city and see what we can find out."

Ellengio nodded and the two groups seperated, Ellengio leading his along the narrow cliff face off to the west, while Cloud led the others down the trail towards the city below. The trail was steep, but it was downhill, so the going was not all that strenous. As they dropped lower they began to get a better view of the city below them. The buildings all seemed to be made of the same material, some kind of white stone, or concrete. Each one pockmarked with dark round holes that Cloud took for windows. None of the buildings seemed to be more than one or two stories, and they seemed to have been built with no kind of orgnaization at all. Some seeemed to be right up against one another, others were seperated by large spaces. He could see nothing resembling roads or any straight lines. The effect was very alien and rather primitive looking. He stared down at the city as they walked, trying to spot some sign of habitation, but there was no movement below. The city semeed deserted.

The trail switched back on itself several times on the way down, and after two hours they still had not reached the bottom. The sun had rapidly climbed up into the sky, and now it was as hot as it had been yesterday. Even though they were going downhill Cloud still felt himself breaking out into a sweat.

Cloud was in the lead, walking at a measured pace. The others followed in single file behind him, the trail being to narrow to walk side by side.

"Hold on a second," he heard Tifa say behind him.

He turned and saw her looking at Zack who was last in line and had stopped, looking around slowly as if searching for something.

"What is it?" Cloud questioned.

Zack did not answer for a moment.

"I feel like we're being watched," he said finally.

Cloud saw the others look around nervously. He couldn't help but glance around himself. But he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Still, he knew his old friend had good instincts for things like this, and he wasn't going to just ignore it. Slowly he pulled out his sword. Zack had been reluctant to bring his own sword, still concerned that he might do soemthing foolish with it, but in the end Cloud had convinced him, and he now saw that Zack had his sword in his hands as well.

They continued down the trail, walking just a bit more cautiously. The city was in plain sight now, and they were close enough to see anyone, or anything, that might be outside the buildings, but there was no movement, no sound. The place was eerily quiet. Perhaps the creatures that built it only came out at night, or took some kind of siesta during this part of the day. Who knew? But it was just as likely that the city had been abandoned long ago. Or maybe not that long ago. He looked over the city again, looking for signs of decay, but the buildings all seemed to be intact, none of them in disrepair. If it was indeed abandoned, it could not have been that long ago that it happened.

A shadow crossing the ground in front of them gave them the first hint of trouble. Cloud looked up to see something diving directly at him. For a moment he thought it was Vincent, transformed as the Chaos beast, but the creature was heading right at him, claws outstetched, and behind it, he could see others.

"Watch out!" he yelled, even as he dove out of the way.

He felt a sharp pain as the claws ripped at his shoulder, but it was only a glancing blow. He recovered quickly and swung his sword, but not quickly enough and the beast flew up and away from him. He looked up to see more flying all around them, slashing now at the other members of the party. In the sudden chaos he couldn't tell how many there were, but it was at least six or seven.

He heard a blast from Reeve's shotgun, and one of the creaures spun in the air and dived down toward the plain below. Two more were hovering over Zack, but the defense he was weaving with his sword was impentrable. Reno's nightstick flared, and another of the beasts fell, this one right on the trail beside them, stunned. Cloud swung his sword as another dove at him. It quickly turned away. He ran back towards the others. He saw one come down at Aeris. She swung her rod and it fell back, but another suddenly swooped down behind her. It's claws latched on to her, knocking her forward and the Princess Guard out of her hands at the same time. Then it flapped it's winds, lifting up off the ground, carrying Aeris with it.

"Aeris!" Cloud shouted.

Zack lunged forward, swinging his sword, but the creature flew up out of range. It turned out over the cliffs, heading down and toward the city. Reeve ran up to the edge of the cliff, shotgun ready to fire, but Aeris and the creature were out over the gorge now, and he realized if he fired the beast might drop her to her death.

"No!" he shouted helplessly.

But none of them had time to think about what had happened. The creatures above them were still attacking, and they were forced to fight for their own lives. In the distraction Aeris abduction had caused, another one had swooped down on Tifa, and had grabbed her arm, starting to pull her up into the air. With a shout she lifted up her legs and kicked the creature right in the stomach. It let out a cry of pain and let go. It had lifted her up almost ten feet, and she fell awkwardly, her arms flailing wildly, and landed heavily on her back.

Cloud tried to make his way over to her, but the creatures were swarming around him, and there seemed to be more coming all the time. The sky above them seemed to be crawling with them, and he was having a difficult time defending himself, much less helping anyone else.

Reno fired his nightstick at one of the creatures diving down at him. The creature screamed at the shock, curling up into a tight ball. The creature had been almost upon him when he had discharged the nightstick, and now it's momentum carried it right into him, knocking him roughly to the ground and sending his nightstick clattering among the rocks. Reno quickly pulled himself out from beneath the creature, obviously not seriously injured, and ran for his weapon, but even as he did so another of the creatures swooped down and grabbed hold of him, quickly lifting him up. It's claws dug into his shoulders, and he swung wildly behind him to try to fend if off, but he couldn't make solid contact, and a moment later the creature was diving down the gorge with Reno firmly in it's clutches.

"I don't think they're trying to kill us," Zack called out. "I think they may be trying to capture us."

Cloud was busy defending himself, but he did hear Zacks shout. If that were true, then they had to be intelligent. Except for the leathery wings and dark grey skin, the creatures were humanoid in shape. They were quite similar to the Chaos beast, actually, except for being a bit smaller. They seemed to be attacking as an organized group. The wings and body were similar to the skeleton they had found along with the Cetra book. Was it possible these were the Chadara?

"We're not your enemy!" Cloud shouted, swinging his sword yet again to clear them away from him. He didn't really know why he said it. He had not heard any of them make any noise, except for crys of pain, and he had no reason to believe they could speak, much less understand english. But if these were the Chadara, the last thing he wanted to do was have a battle with them.

He turned to see that one of the creatures had once again gotten a hold of Tifa, and was lifting her up, and this time she appeared too stunned from the fall to defend herself. Already the creature was close to the edge of the gorge.

"No," Cloud shouted, no longer thinking about making peace. He swung his sword visciously to clear a path, then charged over toward the creature that had Tifa. It was off the trail now, over the gorge. Without thinking he dropped his sword and leapt into the air. For a moment he thought he was going to miss the creature and plunge downward, but then his hand shot out and grabbed hold of the creatures leg. It kicked visciously, and Cloud felt his grip slipping. He looked down. The creature was dropping down quickly, the weight of two people more than it could bear, but they were still far above the vally floor. A fall from here would surely kill him.

He tried to tighten his grip, gritting his teeth, but the creature kicked again and he felt his grip slip some more. He knew he couldn't hold on for more than a few more seconds.

Just as his hand was slipping off another hand shot out and grapped hold of his arm. He turned to see that Tifa had recovered enough to grab hold of him. He let go of the creatures leg with his other arm and grabbed hold of her hand, swinging down and dropping below her.

Though it was a strain, he thought he could maintain this position. The problem now was that the creature was dropping quickly, for the weight of the two of them was more than it could carry. Cloud could hear it flapping it's wings madly, but they were still dropping too fast for a safe landing. Now Cloud's fear was that the creature would try to save itself by letting go of Tifa.

But then suddenly another creature flew down beside the first, wrapping it's arms around Cloud. Cloud did the only reasonable thing he could and let go of Tifa. The other creatue immediately regained control and they both turned toward the city. Cloud looked back, barely able to make out the small figures there as the cliffs rapidly disappeared behind them.

"They've got Cloud!" Reeve shouted.

Zack did not answer, still trying to fight off the creatures that were now swarming around him. He swung his sword like a man possessed, and the creatures were forced to back off. He and Reeve stood side by side now, with Zack protecting Reeve each time he had to reload, and Reeve picking off any of the creatures that got past Zack's guard. Already half a dozen of them lay dead or dying at their feet.

Reeve let go another blast from his shotgun, and another creature that was coming up behind Zack fell to the ground. Zack slashed back and forth, and most of the creatures backed off, having learned that he was just too quick with his weapon to get at him, although occasionally one would dart in toward him. So far everyone that had done that had paid dearly.

There were five or six left, it was hard to tell with them swooping around constantly, never staying in one place. Zack lunged at one of them and it dodged out of the way, nearly doing a somersault in the air. Then suddenly four of them darting in at him from all different directions.

One went down at a blast from Reeve's gun. Zack slashed at another one, then dove to the side. One of them managed to grab hold of his arm, the others missing completely. He turned and drove his sword deep into the creatures body, even as it tried to lift off with him. With a strangled cry the creature collapsed to the ground.

Zack sprang to his feet, sword ready, to see that the others were flying off.

"They've given up!" Reeve exclaimed triumphantly.

Zack pushed his sword into the ground and leaned heavily on the hilt, panting for breath and watching the creatures slowly disappear into the city below.

"True," he said. "But they've got the others. I wouldn't exactly call it a stunning victory."

Reeve nodded, walking up beside Zack and staring down at the city below. The creatures quickly disappered from sight into the city below, along with their friends. In a few moments the city apppeared as deserted as it had when they had first seen it.

"We'll have to go tell the others," Reeve said. "What a disaster. This mission seems to have been cursed from the start."

Zack looked up at the cliff they came down thoughtfully, then back at the city again.

"It would take all day to climb back up there and then come down again. Who knows what may happen to the others in that time. We're almost at the bottom of the cliff. We can probably reach the town in an hour or two from here."

Reeve looked at him in surprise.

"You want to go after them ourselves?"

Zack nodded.

Reeve shook his head.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I think that's an incredibly bad idea," he said. "The others back at the ship should be informed of this. They need to be warned. If we don't go back and tell them, they could fall into the same trap. Besides, that city is probably full of those creatures, what could the two of us possibly do down there except get caught ourselves?"

Zack looked at him with a hint of disdain.

"If that whole city is full of them, then even going back and getting everyone on the ship isn't going to do much good," he pointed out. "If we're going to sneak into the city, the smaller the group the better."

Reeve looked at him skeptically.

"We have to warn the others," he repeated.

Zack shrugged and looked back up the cliff, shading his eyes from the sun.

"So go ahead and warn them," he replied. "Nobody says you have to come with me. We don't know what these creatures are going to do, we don't know how they are going to treat their captives, but we killed a lot of them," he continued, sweeping his hand around to point out the bodies that lay around them "And I don't think that'll make them very happy, or treat their captives very kindly. It may be vitally important that we get to them as fast as possible. I'm not going to let anything happen to Aeris."

And with that he started down the hill once more, not even waiting for Reeve's response.

Reeve just stood there for a moment, looking back and forth between Zack and the cliffs above. Then he suddenly trotted downhill, after Zack.

"This is completely insane," he muttered to himself.


	16. First Contact

CHAPTER XVI

FIRST CONTACT

Elena

Vincent looked vacantly at the red walls of the canyon surrounding him. He sat at the bottom of the canyon, his knees drawn up, the sun beating down on him. A few feet away the canyon wall cast a pool of refreshing shade on the ground below, but Vincent paid it no heed. He wasn't sure how long he had been here, wasn't even sure how he had gotten here. The passage of time was difficult to tell in his transformed state. Hours, at least, judging from the fact that the sun was now well past the midpoint in it's daily journey through the sky.

Elena.

Not that it mattered. He could think when he was the Chaos beast, but not in anyway like he did when he was not. Transformed he was ruled by his emotions. Perhaps that was part of the reason he hid them so well when he was his normal self. He could reason, but only to a limited extent. He knew he had been looking for Elena, he knew how hopeless it was, he knew how it was tearing his heart apart to think that she could be gone. He knew, after all his attempts to force any emotion from him, to wash himself clean of such things, to forget in fact that they had ever existed, that he had not succeeded. Somehow against his wishes, he had fallen into the trap.

Again.

Lucrecia.

Vincent felt his head throbbing. He shook it fiercly, as if by doing so he could toss all thoughts out of it, but it only made it hurt worse. He stopped and bowed his head. He saw blood running down his right arm, the result of a run in with the canyon wall as he had frantically flown through it, looking for a sign, a sign that might show that by some miracle she survived.

By some miracle.

There were no miracles for Vincent Valentine. They were reserved for those blessed by God, not those condemned. He had been weak, he realized. After all those years, being experimented on by Hojo, in the coffin, helping Avalanche. He thought that maybe after all that, God would be merciful. He had begun to think that perhaps he had finally atoned, finally paid for his sins, and that maybe he could have this one little thing. But now he realized just what a fool he had been. There was no atonement. There would never be. It was all just God's way of having a little fun with him. The only light at the end of his tunnel was the flickering flames of the fires of hell.

Victoria.

All of them gone. This was Vincent Valentine's curse. The moment he let down his guard, the moment he had let Elena into his heart, he had signed her death warrent. It wasn't enough for him to die, oh no, not when he could be made to suffer. Not when he could be made to see those he cared about die over and over and over again.

He felt the rage welling up inside himself. With great effort he forced himself to remain calm, to try to concentrate on something else, the dirt walls around him, the heat that beat down upon him, the buzzing of some unknown insect off in the distance. He breathed in, slowly and deliberately. And after a few moments the rage subsided.

He didn't want to transform again. It would do no good right now, and he needed to be able to reason. The urge to transform had left, but even so he knew it was not far away. The urge had been strong ever since they had arrived here, even more so than it had been on earth, and in his present emotional state it was on a hair trigger, and he knew the slightest thing could set it off.

He took one more deep breath, then stood up slowly. The canyon ran north south, narrowing and heading downward at the southern end. A dry streambed ran along the bottom of it.

He looked up at the canyon walls above him. He could see no sign of the ship they had come in. Was not even sure where he was in relation to it. Not that he really cared. He had no intention of going back.

He started to walk slowly along the riverbed, headed south, down out of the mountains. He didn't know where he was going, or what he was going to do, but he did know this, no one else was going to die because of him. He couldn't go back. He was too weak. He knew that someday, somewhere, he would do this again, would let someone else into his heart, with disasterous consequences. No matter how hard he tried not to, he realized now he was not strong enough to resist. The only way to prevent this from happening over and over was to cut off all contact. Eventually the others would accomplish their mission, and they would return to earth. Then he would be alone, and could no longer hurt anyone. Only then would he be safe from this curse. Perhaps Hojo had done him a favor when he locked him up in the coffin. Vincent had not hurt anyone in there. Perhaps it would have been better if he had stayed there. So he would make this planet his coffin. Not literally, but isolated in the same sense.

He looked ahead. No vegetation grew along the cliffs here. The insects had gone silent. The rocky walls loomed up forbiddingly around him. The planet did not look very hospitable. Perhaps this would turn into his coffin in a literal sense. The supplies were back on the ship. He would have to fend for himself if he continued, and it might well be that he would quickly starve to death, or more likely die of thirst, or anyone of a dozen other untimely ends. But he did not fear that. When Hojo had been performing his experiments Vincent had wished for death, had prayed for it. After that he had little to fear from the desert around him. Nor did he fear being alone. Most of his life had been spent is solitude. It didn't matter. Nothing that happened to him mattered anymore. All that was important was that no one else be harmed, no one else be poisoned and die because of him. His own death would be a small price to pay in return.

Normally it was almost impossible to sneak up on Vincent. His preternatural senses could detect the slightest sound, the slightest movement of anyone or anything nearby. But right now, naturally enough, his thoughts distracted him. With his guard down he did not notice the barely perceptable disturbance in the air or the shadow sweeping down the cliff face.

His first indication that something was amiss was when he was struck suddenly from behind, knocking the wind out of him. He staggered forward. He felt long arms wrap around him and suddenly he was lifted up. He twisted his head around to see a grey skinned creature with huge winds beating on the air as it carried him up. Gasping for breath, he tried to turn to beat on the beast with his clawed hand, but he could not get any leverage, and the blows were not damaging. He tried to turn around, but the creature's arms were gripping him tightly, preventing movement. He flailed angrily at the creature, even as he felt the rage flaring up inside him.

He did not resist, and suddenly the urge to transform overwhelmed him. With a beastial cry it began. The creature holding him had started to level off, and was turning toward the city below when the transformation took place. The sudden change obviously took it by surprise, for as soon as the transformation occured it dropped him with a startled cry.

The wings of the Chaos beast snapped open, and it turned in the air. The other creature was flying nearby, looking at Vincent, or what he had become, with a look of shock. With a sudden surge of his wings, Vincent dove straight at the creature. It made no attempt to get out of his way. Instead it just stared at him. As he approached he heard it cry out, and then his arms reached out, his claws slashed, and blood flew. The creature belately tried to fight back, but it soon became apparent the Chaos beast was both larger and stronger. The smaller creature soon realized he was outmatched, but not before he had been severly wounded. Quickly it tried to turn away, to run, but the Chaos beast drove down upon it once more, before it had a chance to escape. Vincent raked his claws along the creatures back, tearing a huge gouge and almost seperating one wing from the creatures body. It gave out one last shreik and plummeted to the ground.

The Chaos beast circled slowly around, eventuallhy coming to land not far from where the other beast had fallen. It landed softly, folding it's wings behind it. For a moment it just stood there, a strange look on concentration on it's face. It bowed it's head, and suddenly it seemed to diminish somehow, and Vincent once more regained control.

He stood there in silence, breathing heavily. Even though the other creature had been no match for him, it had still taken a lot out of him. And the process of transformation was itself tiring. He would have liked nothing better than to sit down for a while in some nearby secluded spot and take a nap, regardless of the danger. But he couldn't. Not now. Something was troubling him.

He looked around slowly until he spotted the body of the creature he slew. He made his way over the rocks until he stood before it. He remained there looking down at it for a very long time. He felt a strange feeling looking down at the creature. It looked uncannily like the Chaos beast, and that bothered him a great deal. The odds on it being coincidental that they had flown halfway across the universe to run into a creature almost identical to the beast he tranformed into was too incredible for a rational man to accept.

He slowly eased himself down onto a large rock, still looking at the beast in front of him. Now he was feeling something else. The other alternative, of course, was that this wasn't a coincidence. That somehow these creatures and the Chaos beast he became were somehow connected. He realized that the feeling that was now growing in him was a sense of excitement. Was it possible? Could he believe this connection? How could that make any more sense than a coincidence?

There was something else too. The reason he had come to inspect the creature was not because it resembled the Chaos beast. It was because of something else. The creature had cried out right before he attacked it. As the Chaos beast, Vincent could not reason very well, but even so the cry had not sounded like that of a beast, it had sounded like more than that, more coherent. It had sounded like language.

He stood up slowly, shaking his head. Now he was sorry he had killed the creature. There were so many questions, none that could be answered by the body in front of him. But he didn't really have much control over what the Chaos beast did, and it had only acted on instinct, assuming the creature was a threat. The deed was done and there nothing more he could do about it. But where there was one, there would very likely be more. Perhaps if he found one alive, he might be able to get some answers. Answers he so depserately needed.

He started down the slope once more, a look of resolve etched on his face.

* * *

"It's too hot!" Yuffie whined.

Barret just glared at her for a moment. From the steepness of the slope to the wieght of her backpack, she had been issuing a constant string of complaints since the moment they had started down the mountain.

"Why did you even bother to come along?" he questioned.

It had taken them over two hours to reach the canyon floor. There were no trails, and the mountain was steep and treacherous. A number of times they had been stymied, and Barret had thought Ellengio on the verge of turning back, but each time they had found a way. Now finally they had reached the bottom, but they were all exhausted both mentally and physically. Yuffie had been complaining a lot, but he had to admiit that at least this one about the heat was legitimate.

They been searching the canyon for almost an hour now of any sign of Elena's body, but had found nothing. Not surprising, really. The land around them was jagged and broken, the walls of the canyon riddled with cracks. If she had landed in any one of them, they would have to be right on top of her to see her. It was quite likely they would never find any sign of her at all.

Yuffie was perched on a large outcropping of rock, one shoe off, slapping it against her hand to try to remove the fine grit that she had been complaining about a few minutes earlier.

"What do you mean, why did I come along?" she snapped. "To help you find Vincent, of course. And you should be happy I came. You know if you run into any trouble you're going to need me."

Barret just looked at her skeptically.

The sun was right above their heads now, shining directly down into the canyon, and even right beside the cliff face there was no shade. Barret wondered how long they were going to stay down here. There were only about four or five more hours of sunlight, and he wasn't looking forward to the trip back up the cliff. It had taken them two hours to come down, he figured it would take longer to get back up. They only had about an hour more or they would not make it back to the ship before sundown. He didn't relish attempting to climb on those cliffs in the dark.

He looked around and saw Ellengio and Cait further down the canyon. He stolled over to them, kicking up dust from the dry riverbed beneath his feet. By now the dust covered all of them, giving both their skin and hair an odd reddish tint.

"How long do you plan on staying down here?" Barret asked.

Ellengio hesitated for a moment.

"I was hoping we would be lucky and would find some sort of sign quickly," he finally said. "But that may just be wishful thinking. If we don't find anything, we'll start back in about another hour or so."

"Do you think he found her body?" Cait asked.

Ellengio shrugged.

"There's really no way to tell. You both know him better than I. Whether he finds her or not, what do you think he will do? Is he going to come to his senses and come back to us on his own? If we find him, will he come back with us willingly? Could this so unbalance him that he might become hostile, even to his friends?"

All good questions, Barret thought. Unfortunately, he didn't have the answer to any of them.

"Difficult to say," Barret replied slowly. "Vincent was always a little strange, and I don't think anyone in our group ever really understood him, or could predict what he would do. But, if nothing else, I don't think he would ever attack us."

"I find his transormations very interesting," Ellengio observed. "How long will he stay that way, do you think?"

"I don't know," Barret said. "It never seems to last very long. But it's all controlled by his state of mind, and I'd have to say that isn't in very good shape right now."

For all Barret knew, the trauma of this experience could keep Vincent in his beastial state for a long time. Permanently, perhaps? Barret wasn't sure, but he didn't think that was possible.

"So there's a possibility he could still be transformed when we find him," Ellengio mused. "Will we be able to reason with him?"

Barret shrugged. Why was Ellengio asking him all these questions.

"I don't know," he said. "I just don't know that much about him. Not many people did. The only one who really knew him was Elena, and I'm afraid asking her is no longer an option."

Ellengio nodded.

Yuffie had finally succeeded in removing the offending particles from her shoe, and had now replaced it. She walked over to them.

"Hey, you guys just going to stand around here all day, or are you going to search?" she demanded.

"You should talk," Barret growled. "All you've done so far is annoy us with your constant complaining."

"Who's complaining now?" she questioned sweetly.

"We have been searching," Ellengio said in a no nonsense way. "Instead of standing here discussing it we better get on with it. We don't have a lot of time."

Barret just gave Yuffie a nasty look. Ellengio started heading down the canyon, the others following behind, but they hadn't gotten very far when they heard a shout from in front of them.

"Hey, I found something."

Altim had seemed least fatigued by the long trip down the mountain and had gone ahead while the others waited for Yuffie. Now they saw him standing by a jumbled pile of rocks not far ahead, beckoning to them.

They increased their pace and soon came up beside him to see him looking down at the carcass of some kind of manlike creature. Barret looked down in surprise.

"Is that Vincent?" he heard Yuffie exclaim.

Barret was thinking exactly the same thing. But Ellengio, who had stooped down to examine the body, shook his head.

"No," he said. "This creature is smaller than your friend, and the skin tone is a slightly different shade. But I would say that the resemblance is rather remarkable."

The creature had obviously been in some kind of battle, for it had fiece looking wounds across it's body, a particularly deep gash ran down it's back.

"What happened to it?" Yuffie questioned.

"It obviously ran into something nastier than itself," Barret stated.

He looked up into the sky, shading his eyes. There were a few puffy clouds scattered in the sky, but otherwise it was clear. Unless those wings were just some kind of fancy ornament, which seemed very unlikely, the creature could fly. They had been on guard for danger, especially anymore of those rocklike creatures that had accosted Cloud's party, but he hadn't thought to keep an eye on the sky.

"This creature almost exactly matches the skeleton we found in the cave," Ellengio stated.

"Skeleton?" Barret said. He hadn't really paid much attention to all that Ellengio had told them, but he vaguely remembered Ellengio's explanation of the cave where they had found the book. "You mean those Chadara things?"

"Uh huh," Ellengio agreed.

"The one's that helped the Cetra?" Altim questioned.

Ellengio looked up at him, then nodded.

"I see you were paying attention," he said. "Yes, it looks like they still exist, at least. This gives me hope. Until now I wasn't sure that this race was still here, but now we have proof. There must be more, and it is quite possible we may be able to communicate with them, to enlist their help against Jenova. This is a very good find indeed."

"But it's dead," Yuffie pointed out quite unnecessarily.

"Of course it's dead," Barret said with a snort. "We'll just have to find some live ones."

"Take a look at this," Cait said.

He was standing a few feet away looking at the ground.

The others came over to him. He pointed in front of him. In the dirt they could clearly make out tracks, the footprints of booted feet.

"Vincent," Yuffie said.

Cait nodded.

"The pattern does seem to match the design of the boot in my data banks."

"So he was here," Barret said, looking slowly at the creature nearby. "Do you think he did that?"

"The wounds on the body would seem to match an attack by a beast with large claws," Ellengio stated. "But we don't know for sure. Still, things are starting to look up. Now we know for sure Vincent was here, and we have a trail to follow. We also know that he has transformed back to his normal self."

"The tracks follow the river down to the plain," Altim, who had started ahead once again as soon as he had been shown the track, pointed out.

"He's heading away from the ship," Ellengio said.

"Perhaps he's confused," Yuffie suggested.

"Perhaps," Ellengio replied, his voice sounding doubtful.

He stood there for a few moments in silence.

"Well, are we going to follow?" Yuffie said impatiently.

"Yes, of course," Ellengio said suddenly. He looked up at the sky, trying to gauge how much time they had before nightfall.

"I was hoping to get back before it gets dark," he continued. "But if we don't find him soon that will be impossible. I don't want to turn back now that we've got a clear trail to follow. We have enough equipment and supplies to remain out here for a few days, it that's what it takes. I just wish we had some way of communicating with the others."

Barret nodded. It would have been nice to be able to tell the others what was going on, and the fact that they had found some sign of Vincent. But their PHS was usless without satellites, and they had no other way to communicate. He was severly tempted to send someone back (Yuffie sprang immediately to mind) to let the others now what was going on. Then he thought of something.

"Cait, can you communicate with Reeve?" he asked.

Cait shook his head.

"Reeve had no communications device with him when he left the ship."

"Can you communicate with the ship?" Ellengio asked.

"Sure," Cait said.

"Why the hell didn't you say so!" Barret blurted out.

"I was going to," Cait replied slowly.

"When, next month?" Yuffie questioned.

"Never mind that," Ellengio said. "Can you tell Cid that we've found Vincent's trail, but we don't know how long it will take to find him, and we might not be back for a day or two."

Cait nodded and stood there for a few moments. It seemed weird to Barret that Cait could carry on a conversation over the radio inside him without saying anything.

"Cid aknowledged receipt of the message," Cait said finally. "He said the others aren't back yet either."

"It might take them a while too," Ellengio said.

"All right, let's get going then," Yuffie said.

They looked down the canyon to see that Altim had once more gotten far ahead of them.

"Hey Altim, wait up," Barret called, and they all started once more down the trial after him.

* * *

Elena screamed.

She clawed frantically at the air as she plunged downward. Without thinking about it she shut her eyes tightly. Only one thought filled her mind now, shutting out everything else in the few seconds she had left, the overwhelming certainty that she was going to die.

She almost cried out again as she felt a jarring impact. But she realized a moment later that it was not the impact with the jagged rocks below. Something was wrapped around her, and though the wind still whistled by her, she could tell she was no longer falling.

She opened her eyes to find grey clawed hands wrapped around her body.

"Vincent!" she cried out, the relief crashing like a wave upon her. She looked up at him to see violet eyes peering down at her curiously.

Instantly her relief was replaced by icy fear.

Those were not Vincent's eyes.

Frantically she reached inside her jacket, her hand clawing for her pistol, but the holster was empty. Irrationally she hunted her pockets, but there was no weapon there. It must have slipped out in her fall.

Angrily she drove an elbow into the creatures side.

"Let go of me!" she shouted.

Then she looked down.

The were flying above a narrow ravine. She could see a dried up river bed along the bottom of it. The ground below was rocky and, she couldn't help but notice, very far away.

She stopped her stuggling.

"Don't let go," she changed her mind.

The creature gave no sign that he had heard her. They soon reached the base of the mountains and the ground below them leveled off. Before her Elena could see the buildings of the city quite plainly now, their cream color a sharp contrast to the red rock of the mountains. She stared at the structures as they approached. The rounded edges of the buildings and the large elliptical windows, (at least, she thought of them as windows, but they contained no glass), were like nothing she had seen on earth. There was no one in the streets, but as they came closer she occasionally caught a glimpse of one or more of the creatures looking out the windows.

The beast holding her suddenly dropped down, seeming to be headed right for one of the buildings. For a moment she thought it was going to run right into it, and she grabbed holds of it's arms in fear, but then she realized it was heading for one of the windows. A moment later it had flown through and they landed inside a darkened chamber.

There were other creatures inside. Elena counted four of them. The beast that was holding her let go and she stumbled and fell to the floor. She had no idea what this creature's plans for her were, and for all she knew she was at the top of the dinner menu for the night. She didn't think she would have much of a chance fighting against so many of them, especially without her weapon, but she wasn't going to just give up. She got up, prepared to defend herself as best she could.

But the creature was ignoring her. Instead it walked over to the others and started talking. Talking? She stood there for a moment in surprise. Though the sounds were harsh and gutteral to her, there was no doubt that the creatures were holding a conversation, though she could not understand a word of it. The creature that had brought her in pointed to her a few times, and the others looked at her with keen interest each time.

She looked around. The room was large, taking up the entire floor. There was one of those large windows in the center of each wall. In the center of the room were four large objects that resembled, the only thing that came to her mind were bean bag chairs. Except for the creatures, there seemed to be nothing else in the room.

She walked over to the objects, glancing warily at the creatures. The one that had caught her looked at her for a moment, but then went back to his conversation. After going through all the trouble of capturing her, he now seemed totally uninterested in her. The objects were made of some rough woven fabric. She could see a brown cottony substance though the spaces in the weave. The objects were elliptical and much larger than a chair. She reached down and pushed on one of them. It gave easily. She glanced over at the creatures once again, but they weren't even looking at her. She sat down, and sank deepiy into the cushiony fabric. The effect was similar to a water bed, and almost as comfortable. She decided this must be the creatures bedroom.

She got up out of the bed with some difficulty. It gave so easily that it was hard to push herself up, and she nearly had to roll off the side to struggle out of it.

She walked over to one of the odd windows. They were much bigger than windows she was used to. But of course they would have to be if the creatures used them to enter the building. She looked around suddenly, and saw that there were no stairs, no way down to the ground or the level below. The windows were the only entrance. She realized she had to adjust her thinking. If you could fly, there was no need for stairs.

Or roads, for that matter. What need would anyone have for roads when you could fly?

She stood close to the edge of the window and looked out. The window came all the way to the floor, and there was no guard or handrail. You didn't need a handrail when you had wings. If you fell, you could just fly. Unfortunately, that option was not available to Elena. They seemed to be on the third floor. Most of the other buildings only had two, and she could tell she was higher than them. She stooped down and examined the outside of the building. It seemed to be made of some kind of concrete, and was very smooth. There were no handholds. No possibility of her climbing down. She looked at the ground below. There was nothing down there but hard packed dirt. She just might survive the drop, but she wasn't ready to risk it, at least, not yet.

She stood up, looking back at her captives thoughtfully. No wonder they were ignoring her They knew that without wings of her own she couldn't escape. She was as much a captive up here as if the room were enclosed in iron bars.

She had thought at first that these creatures must have occupied this city after it had been abandoned by another race, but from the way it was designed it was almost a certainty that these creatures themselves must have built it. They had a language and they had brought her here realizing that she could not get out without wings. It all pointed to the fact that these creatures were highly intelligent. Maybe even as intelligent as humans. Were these those beings that Ellengio had mentioned? The Chardans, Charlana something like that. She couldn't remember the exact name, or the details of what Ellengio had told them about the race. She only remembered that they had helped the Cetra.

"What are you going to do with me?" she asked.

The creature that had caught her stopped his conversation and they all looked at her. For a moment there was silence.

"What are you going to do with me?' she repeated.

The creature tilted his head. Then shook it slowly.

_"Pandalione gal tempestar,"_ the creature said.

"What the hell does that mean," she muttered. She hadn't expected them to understand her. She had just said it to try to surprise it, to make it realize that she too was intelligent. For all she knew, these creatures could be looking at her in the same way she had looked at them when she had first seen them.

"Charlotta," she said, trying to remember what Ellengio had called them.

The creatures just looked at her curiously.

She folded her arms in exasperation. What was that name? Chardala...Char...Cha..."

"Chadara!" she exclaimed.

The creatures eyes widened.

"Chadara," it repeated, walking quickly over to stand in front of her.

"Yes," she said. She pointed to it. "Chadara."

"Chadara," it said again.

"Yes," she said excitedly. "You, Chadara. Me," she turned her hand around and pointed to herself, "human."

The creature stared at her.

She pointed to it.

"Chadara."

She pointed to herself.

"Human."

She did it several times.

The creature did not respond.

"Don't you get it?" she exclaimed. Perhaps they weren't as smart as she thought.

Slowly the Chadara brought it's hand up. It pointed to itself.

"Chadara," it said.

"Yes!" Elena exclaimed.

It pointed to her.

"Hooman?" it said timidly.

"Yes!" Elena nearly shouted.

"Yss," the Chadara repeated.

"That's it, you've got it," she said.

The Chadara turned to the others and started talking again. She heard him say hooman a couple of times, each time pointing to her. The others all started to talk rapidly. For a long time it went back and forth, all of them sounding suddenly excited. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she was hopeful that it meant something good.

Suddenly all the creatures except the one that had brought her turned and walked over to the window. They stepped out as if walking out their front door. In a moment they had all disappeared into the sky.

"Where are they going?" she asked.

The Chadara turned back toward her, but did not speak.

"My name is Elena," she said, pointing to herself again. What the hell, it had worked the first time. "Elena," she repeated.

The Chadara looked puzzled once again.

"Elena," she said again, slowly. She pointed to him.

"And you are?"

The Chadara tilted his head.

"Chadara," it said.

"I know that part," she said. "I want to know what they call you. What your name is."

She pointed to herself again.

"Elena," she said.

The Chadara still obviously did not understand.

"Hooman?" it said.

"Yes, human," she replied patiently. "That's what I am, but that's not what I am called. My name is Elena."

The creature just shook it's head.

Elena sighed. For all she knew, these creatures didn't even have names. But they must refer to each other somehow. But it didn't look like she was going to get her point across this time. At least she had made some kind of contact, she figured she should be happy with that.

"Human," she said, nodding.

"Hooman," the Chadara replied seriously. Then it stepped past her, headed for the window.

"Hey, you're not going to leave me too, are you?" she questioned. But even as she spoke it spread it's wings and lifted itself into the air. A moment later it was gone.

She stood there looking out the window for a while. A light breeze was blowing from the east, from behind her, stirring her hair. It felt good in the afternoon heat. In fact, the room was quite comfortable. The walls seemed to be excellent insulation from the heat, in spite of the fact that there were large holes in it. At least she could remain here in comfort.

She walked slowly away from the window, back beside the beds. She stood there for a moment looking at them thoughtfully. She wanted to get back to the others, to at least let them know she was alive, but they had said they needed allies here, and she had made contact, however inadvertantly, with the Chadara. She seemed to be in no danger of ending up on their dinner table as she had initially feared. She decided that trying to communicate with these creatures was much more important than escape, at least, for the moment. She slowly eased herself back down on one of the beds. She had to admit, they were damn comfortable.


	17. Opening Moves

CHAPTER XVII

OPENING MOVES

"The situation appears hopeless," Red said unhappily.

Cid's eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you sure?"

Red nodded slowly in affirmation. He looked up at Lai Li

"I resign," he sighed.

"I don't believe it," Cid muttered.

"That's three times in a row," Nipala added, sounding slightly awestruck.

Lai Li made no attempt to hide her glee as she quickly reset the chess pieces.

"Well, my chess instructor when I was in school said that he had never taught a student as gifted as I," she stated. "So it's not really all that surprising that I beat you."

Red did not reply. Not being human, his expression was difficult to read, except for Nipala, who could see that he was a little bit miffed, though he was trying his best to hide it. Red had really never struck her as the sore loser type, but Lai Li did have a tendency to rub it in.

"You do seem to be improving though," Lai Li continued magnanimously. "A dozen more games and you might even win one. What do you say, shall we continue?"

"A dozen times?" Cid stated, looking at Red carefully and a grin forming on his face. "If I were playing a two hundred pound carnivore, I'd let him win more than that."

Red shook his head.

"No, I think I've had enough. You're more than a match for me."

He got up and padded away from the board. Lai Li looked up at the others.

"Anyone else?" she questioned.

"Don't look at me," Cid snorted. He was sitting in the pilots chair with his feet propped up on the instrument panel, puffing away on a cigarette.

Nipala shook her head.

"I didn't have much time to learn the finer points of chess when I was growing up," she said.

Lai Li looked over at Amanda, who was sitting in a chair staring out the front window. She hadn't paid any attention to them at all. Lai Li turned and saw Rude looking at her. She raised her eyebrows questioningly.

Rude hesitated a moment, then came over and sat down opposite her.

"What the hell," he said. "I have nothing better to do."

"Okay," Lai Li said, her face brightening. "I'll let you have white."

"Actually, I prefer black," Rude said.

Lai Li shrugged.

"Suit yourself," she said and made her opening move.

Red had made like he was going to walk away, but now he came back and stood beside Nipala, watching the two as they made their opening moves.

At Rude's next move Lai Li nodded.

"The King's Indian defense," she commented. "Very flexible, but a little outdated. I used to use that all the time when I was younger."

"Younger?" Cid said, looking at the young woman. "When was that, when you were ten?"

"Six, actually," Lai Li replied quite seriously.

Cid just shook his head and blew an enourmous smoke ring.

Lai Li kept up a rapid banter as she played. She started out moving her pieces crisply and confidently, but as play progressed the look of confidence on her face slowly was replaced by one of concentration. By the time an hour had gone by a frown had appeared on her face and she had fallen silent.

"Check," Rude said quietly, the first time he had spoken since the game began.

Lai Li sat there contemplating her positions for a few minutes. Finally she moved the king out of danger. She looked up at Rude.

"You're very good," she stated. "But you can't keep up this attack. Eventually you're going to regret that rook sacrifice."

Rude did not reply.

Nipala turned and looked at Red.

"He's doing better than you," she whispered.

Red just glared at her.

Cid got up and walked slowly over until he stood looking down at them. He wasn't much of a chess buff, but he couldn't help but be intrigued by this little stuggle, especially after Lai Li had defeated Red with such appparent ease.

Rude made his next move and Lai Li stared at the board some more. It was obvious now that she was taking a lot longer to play than he.

Cid looked up and saw that even Amanda was coming over to take a look at what was going on.

Cid looked down at the chess board. He knew damn little about chess, but he knew enough to see that Lai Li was ahead in material, but that didn't always tell the whole story.

"Check," Rude said again.

Lai Li just stared the board, unmoving for a long time. Yet again she moved her king out of the path of danger. Rude spent a few minutes thinking, then moved again. Each time it was Lai Li's turn now, it seemed to take forever for her to make her move. The frown on her face had turned into a look of fierce concentration, and even Cid could tell she was battling desperately at this point.

Rude calmly made his next move.

Lai Li looked up at him.

"Why didn't you take the rook?" she sputtered.

Rude just looked at her.

With an angry toss of her hair then looked down at the board again. She stared at it for so long that it seemed she was trying to bore holes in it. Finally she lifted up her hands in a gesture of hopelessness.

"I resign," she stated.

The others spontaniously erupted in a chorus of congratulations for the Turk. Lai Li just sat there looking at him, the sting of defeat somewhat overshadowed by wonder at his play.

"Where did you learn to play like that?" she questioned.

"From my Uncle Yuri," Rude replied modestly.

"Yuri?" Lai Li pressed. "Yuri who?"

"Yuri Asoredrev," Rude answered.

Lai Li's eyes widened in surprise.

"_Grandmaster_ Yuri Asoredrev?" she said.

Rude nodded.

"I suppose that would be him," he agreed.

Even Lai Li couldn't help but join the others in laughter.

"That explains a lot," she said.

"There certainly is more to you than meets the eye," Cid observed.

"Did you play with him a lot?" Lai Li pressed. Now that she knew his background, the loss suddenly didn't seem to bother her so much.

"Quite a bit when I was a boy," Rude replied, sounding somewhat reluctant to speak. "My parents had problems of their own and didn't have much time for me. He was more like a father to me when I was growing up than my real father was."

He fell silent, looking slightly embarrassed. Cid had to admit he was surprised that Rude had even opened up that much.

"I'm surprised you didn't make a career out of it," Lai Li observed. "You're certainly good enough."

Rude looked idly at the chessboard as Lai Li reset the pieces. He remembered fondly the nights he had spent sitting on the stoop in front of his parents place playing chess with his uncle when he was a kid. Yuri had visited frequently then, and they had often walked down to the corner ice cream shop afterwards for some desert while they discussed their game. But as the troubles between Rude's parent's had increased, the visits had become less and less frequent. Rude could tell that the way his father was treating his uncles sister was causing a wedge. Eventually Yuri had spoken out against the man, and the two had nearly gotten into a fistfight over it. Rude hadn't seen Yuri at all after that.

"I kind of had other things to do," Rude replied noncomittingly. He had often wondered how much different his life would have been if his father had not turned to alcohol.

"Want to give it another go?" Lai Li said, looking at him hopefully.

"Don't fall for it," Cid said. He had seen Lai Li's passion for the game when she was playing Red. He had a feeling she wasn't going to leave Rude alone until she got revenge for her loss.

Rude sat there looking at Lai Li thoughtfully. Her brown eyes were fixed on him, framed by her short black hair, barely masking her enthusiasm. He had to admit that enthusiasm was rubbing off.

"Sure, why not," he said.

* * *

"Can we rest a minute?" Reeve asked.

Zack sighed irritably, but nodded and they both sat down uncerimoniously in the shade of a large boulder. Reeve wiped the sweat from his brow and pulled out his canteen. He took a small sip, much less than he wanted to, but from the feel of it he could tell the container was nearly empty.

He looked out over the heat scorched plain in front of them. They could see the city clearly now, the dull white colored buildings shimmering in the heat of day, but they still appeared distressingly far away. They trail they had followed had led down into the foothills, but then had turned to the west, away from the city, and they had been forced to abandon it. Reeve had assumed that the most difficult part of the journey was behind them when they reached the base of the mountains, but he had been wrong. From up on the mountain, the foothills had seemed relatively flat, but when they reached them they found them jagged and irregular, with thousands of gullies and canyons criss crossing the ground in all directions. They had struggled laboriously through the latter part of yesterday and most of today trekking toward the city, but the terrain often forced them to go what seemed like miles out of their way. Their supplies were low, especially water. They had not started the journey expecting to be away for so long, and it looked now as if they would run out long before they reached the city proper. Reeve had a feeling Zack was regretting his rash decision to follow the others now, but he didn't bring it up, seeing that it wouldn't do much good.

"I just hope we can find some water once we reach the city," he muttered.

"Of course we will," Zack replied. "They wouldn't build a city out here without water. They have to drink too, don't they?"

Reeve did not reply. These were alien creatures, who knows what kind of sustinence they needed. For all he knew water might be poison to them, but again, he didn't think it would help the situation any by pointing that out.

"If the land flattens out a little, we should be able to get there in an hour or two," Zack stated bluntly. "We should be able to tough it out til then. But we've got to keep moving."

"I just need to catch my breath," Reeve stated. "Just for a few minutes."

He was begining to wish he had listened to his own advice and turned around when Zack had started off in the first place. Reeve realied that his own arrogance had come into play there. Zack had practically challanged him to turn around, to take the cowardly way out. And even though Reeve knew that going ahead without telling the others was a foolish thing to do, he had still gone along. Yet he realized now that what he thought of as being brave had really been taking the easy way out. Standing up to Zack when he truely believed the right thing to do was to turn around would have been the braver thing to do.

Reeve sighed. He realized that he was still letting people push him around. Just like he had in Shinra.

He glanced back the way they had come. The cliffs rose formidably above them. They were much closer to the city now, and he realized that it was too late to turn back. Whatever happened, they were commited to going forward.

Reeve leaned back and rested his head against the rock. He felt exhasuted. Even with his recent experiences, he still wasn't in shape enough to match the stamina of a trained SOLDIER. Zack had been pushing them hard. They had only rested for a few hours during the night, and Reeve had been uncomfortable and had only slept fitfully. He had to resist the urge to close his eyes and let his head sink down to his chin.

Zack let them rest ten minutes before he got so restless that Reeve agreed to move on. Zack planted his hand to push himself up, but then he jumped to his feet and turned around with a curse.

"What?" Reeve said, starteled.

Zack stared at the boulder. Just for a second, Reeve thought he had seen something small scurry beneath it.

"Something bit me!" Zack growled, staring at the boulder. There was a crevice underneath it, just a few inches wide. Zack stared at it, but nothing moved. He crouched down warily to try to look inside, but the darkness beneath the boulder defeated him.

He stood up again as Reeve came up beside him. They both looked down at his arm. There were three small red marks just above his wrist.

"Does it hurt?" Reeve said. It didn't look like much, but for some reason Reeve didn't like the look of it. He couldn't help but remember they were on an alien planet far from help.

"It kind of burns," Zack said slowly. He moved his hand experimentaly. He didn't seem to have lost any function.

"Little bastard," he muttered. "Oh well, let's get on with this. I'll be fine."

He turned and started toward the city once more, apparently no worse for the wear. Reeve shrugged and followed.

For another hour they struggled onward. At first Zack kept up his usual rapid pace, and Reeve was hard pressed to keep up. But gradually Zack began to slow down. His face became very pale, and he started to sweat profusely. Reeve felt his unease growing quickly. Eventually Zack stated to fall behind. He no longer looked ahead, his face set with a look of resolve, instead he walked with head bent, every step seeming to be a struggle. When he started to wander off in the wrong direction, Reeve called them to a stop.

"Let me take a look at that arm," he stated firmly.

Zack stood there shaking his head, but put up no resistance when Reeve grabbed hold of his arm. Immediately Reeve knew something was very wrong. Zack's arm was hot to the touch.

Reeve looked down at the arm and could not contain a quick intake of breath. Zacks arm all the way up to the elbow was swollen and red.

"My God, you should have said something," Reeve admonished, his voice filled with concern.

Zack continued to shake his head, not looking up.

"Got to get to the city," he muttered.

"Not in this condition you won't," Reeve stated. He eased Zack down to a sitting postion. Zack feebly tried to resist, but he was too weak.

Reeve fumbled through his backpack and pulled out a green materia. He concentrated on it until a green glow suffused the air around him. When the glow faded he looked carefully at Zack again, then shook his head.

"The cure materia didn't seem to have any effect," he said slowly, obviously disappointed. "It seems to be some kind of poison, and I don't have an Esuna."

Zack did not reply, just sat there staring at the ground in front of him. Reeve felt his brow.

"You're burning up," he muttered.

He stood up and looked around. The city was still miles away. There was no chance of going back. Zack obviuosly was going no further under his own power. What the hell was he supposed to do now?"

He looked down at Zack again, silently cursing the man for leading them on this wild goose chase in the first place. If only Zack had listened to him, they wouldn't be out here at all!

But there wasn't much point in harping on that. What's done was done, and what he really had to determine now was what to do next. Unfortunately the options were severly limited. All thought of rescuing the others was out of the question now. The best he could hope for at this point would be that they could both arrive alive in the city. What happened after that, well, he didn't even want to think about.

Zack muttered something unintelligable and slumped further to the ground. Reeve cursed. He knew what he had to do, so he might as well get to it. There was no time to waste. If he didn't get help very soon, he thought there was a good chance Zack would die.

Reeve stooped down again. He grabbed hold of Zack and pulled him up, supporting him as best he could. Zack swayed a bit but remained on his feet. Reeve started forward once more.

It was diffcult enough to support Zack, who didn't seem to be helping at all. It was even harder to keep him going in a straight line over the rough terrain, and after fifteen minutes of staggering forward, Reeve realized that this just wasn't going to work.

He eased Zack back down to the ground and looked around again, starting to feel desperate. He shaded his eyes and looked at the city, so close yet so far away. He would almost be relieved to see the creatures that had taken the others away appear in the air around them. At least then Zack might have a chance of survival, but he hadn't seen a hint of them since yesterday's attack.

No, there was no help ahead of them, or back. Whatever they did, Reeve was going to have to decide himself.

He scratched his chin nerviously, and kept glancing at the city in the distance. It wasn't that far away now. He could probably make it in under an hour, but not burdened with Zack.

Zack had slumped over and was now lying unmoving in the desert sand.

Reeve stooped down next to him. Zack's breathing was erratic. He seemed to be getting worse.

Reeve stood up again. He knew what he had to do, but he was loath to do it. There only way that Zack would survive is if he got help, quickly, and Reeve knew he couldn't get help in time unless he left Zack behind.

Reeve chewed nervously on his lower lip. Every fiber of his being told him he couldn't leave Zack here, yet he knew he couldn't bring him. It was either try to get help or wait here for him to die.

"Damn," Reeve muttered.

He looked down at Zack once more, lying in the hot sand, the sun beating down on him.

He gazed around him. He couldn't just leave Zack there, exposed like that to the heat. If he was going to abandom him, he could at least make him as comfortable as possible. He spotted an jutting outcropping of rock not far away above the ravine they were in. It gave a promiise of shade, and didn't appear too far away.

With a grunt Reeve lifted Zack up once more. This time it was even more difficult, for Zack barely helped him at all. But somehow Reeve managed to drag Zack over to the rock, and when he reached it he saw a dark irregular opening beneath the outcrop.

Reeve nodded in satisfaction at the sight of the cave. That would be a perfect place to leave Zack, out of the sun and somewhat sheltered from the elements and any predators that might happen by. Reeve lugged Zack into the cave and laid him down not far from the entrance.

Reeve looked around. The cave mouth was large, letting in plenty of light, and he could see far back into the tunnel. It was an irregular chamber about fifteen feet high in the center. It faded into darkness in the back, and he could not see any end to it. For a moment he hesitated, wondering what sort of creatures might inhabit the cave. Had he brought Zack in here just to become a meal for some dark cave dweller?

He stood up and shook his head fiercly. There was no time to worry about that. There was no place else to put Zack. He would just have to trust to luck. He just hoped that when he found help he would be able to find his way back here.

He stooped down once more. Zack's eyes were closed, but he was not unconscious, for Reeve could hear him muttering faintly under his breath.

"Zack!" Reeve said sharply.

The muttering got a bit louder, but Reeve still couldn't understand it.

"Zack, I've got to go somewhere. I'll be right back. I'm going to go get you some help. Do you understand? I'm going to get help!"

Zack gave no indication that he understood.

Reeve gave up. He stood up once more. He looked at then entrance. He knew he should be on his way, that every second counted, but he felt a strong reluctance to leave. It went against his grain to abandon someone in trouble.

"It's the only way I can help him," he muttered to himself.

He took a step toward the entrance and looked back at Zack once more. He remained motionless, caught between the urges to get help and to stay and comfort a dying man. If he didn't make in back in time, he didn't want Zack to die alone.

"I'm sorry," he said finally, then turned and walked out of the cave.

Zack made no motion, no indication that he had heard, and in truth he did not. Images swirled around him. He felt he was burning up, surrounded by flames, unable to escape. He was in constant pain, unrelenting pain. His mind was totally occupied with fighting it off. He had withdrawn into himself, concentrating on keeping one small part of his mind clear, focusing all his will. That small part of him was his last bastion of defense, defesne against the sea of pain that even now threatened to overwhelm him. He kept telling himself if he just held on a little longer it would subside. A few minutes more, that was all he needed. But as the pain became even stronger the minutes were reduced to seconds. Unknowlingly he clenched his teeth, his brow furrowed in concentration. Just a few seconds longer!

And then, as if by some miracle, the pain did subside. Not very much, but even that little bit was enough to give him hope, to help him keep up the fight for a little bit longer.

With the decrease in pain, a semblence of coherence returned to him. He realized he was lying on his back, and the ground below him was cool, at least compared to the desert heat he was so used to. He felt something else, something cool on his forehead.

With great effort he managed to open his eyes. The world was dim, his vision blurry, but he could clearly see a figure above him. A face, outlined in light, large eyes staring at him intently. He tried to will himself to see more clearly, but the pain had not disappaered altogether, and with the strain he felt it increase once more.

He struggled once more, moving his lips slowly, trying to form the words. And eventually he was rewarded with the vague sound of his voice.

"Aeris?"

The figure above hims stirred. He struggled to rise, but something pressed against his forehea, easing him back with gentle pressure. He tried one last time to focus his eyes, but to no avail. Finally he gave in and laid back, feeling exhaustion suddenly overwhelming him. Somehow he felt he was in good hands, and that he no longer had to struggle. His was convinced that Aeris had come to save him. That somehow Reeve had found the others, and brought them back. It made not a whit of difference to him that the eyes he had seen had not been emerald green, but a deep shade of blue.

* * *

"Elena!"

Elena jerked up, looking around startled, her hand automatically reaching for he now empty holster.

Her eyes focused on the man looking down at her.

"Reno?" she said, the realization of where she was slowly returning to her.

"I can't believe you're alive," he said, and actually sounded like he meant it.

"How did you get here? How did you survive?" she heard another voice. She looked around to see Tifa, Cloud and Aeris standing nearby, all of them looking at her with expressions of relief.

"I was brought here by the Chadara," she said slowly. She struggled to get out of the bed she was lying in, but was not very successful. Finally Reno reached down and pulled her to her feet.

She looked out one of the 'windows'. It had been early evening when he had nodded off, but now she saw the rising sun of a new day. She must have slept for quite some time. Or maybe not, remembering how short the nights were here.

"How did you all get here?" she asked.

"The same way you did, apparently," Cloud replied. "We were broight here by those creatures."

"Are they really the Chadara?" Aeris questioned.

"I think so," Elena replied. "They recognized the name."

"So you've been talking to them?" Cloud said in surprise.

"If you can call it that," Elena replied. "I think we've got one word down. I'm afraid communication is going to be a serious barrier."

"So what are they going to do with us?" Reno asked.

Elena shook her head.

"I haven't the slightest idea," she replied. "But I don't think they mean us any harm. At least, they haven't done anything threatening since they saved me."

"Not to you, maybe," Reno muttered, rubbing a bruise on the side of his head.

Cloud walked over to the window and looked out thoughtfully.

"Well, they may not mean us any harm, but it appears they don't want us running away, either. In spite of how they may have treated you, it appears we are prisoners."

"Maybe they're just being careful," Elena suggested. "Would you trust them if you met them on our planet?"

Cloud conceded her point with a shake of his head.

"So what do we do now?" Tifa inquired.

Reno walked over beside Cloud and looked at the ground below.

"We get out of here," he said.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Tifa asked. "Sprout wings?"

Reno gave her a condescending look, then walked over to the beds.

"Simple," he said. "We push one of these out the window, then we jump down on top of it."

"I thought of that," Elena commented. "But Ellengio said we needed to make friends with these people. It might be better if we stayed and tried to talk to them."

"How can we talk to them?" Reno questioned skeptically. He didn't seem to think much of their captors. "We don't know if that nonsense they are spouting is really a language at all."

"It is," Elena replied firmly. "They seem to be highly intellgent. I'm sure with a little effort we can get our point across."

The look he gave her made it obvious he remained doubtful.

"Elena's right," Cloud cut in. "Besides, even if we escaped from this room, that doesn't mean we're home free. We'd still have to get out of this city. A city full of the Chadara. In broad daylight. The odds of actually getting back to the ship seem rather slim."

Reno gave him a dark look.

"Since when did slim odds bother you?" he asked.

"They don't," Cloud replied. "And if I was sure the Chadara were our enemy I wouldn't hesitate to chance it, but we don't know that. Except for abducting us, they've done nothing to indicate that they mean us harm. Let's give them a chance."

Reno took a deep breath, but said nothing further. His look made it plain he wasn't all that pleased with this course of action.

Cloud turned to Aeris.

"What about you Aeris, can you feel anything?"

Aeris hesiated. She stepped over to the window and looked out over the city.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "The whole city is so quiet, as if waiting for something. I feel a sense of anticipation, and...fear."

"Fear?" Tifa questioned. "Of what, us?"

Aeris shook her head.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "But not us. I don't think they fear us at all."

Cloud nodded, not sure that was a good thing. A little fear might earn them respect.

With a flapping of wings three of the Chadara flew into the room and landed nearby. One had a thick round flat board that it placed on the ground. The other two were carrying things as well, and they placed them on the board. They stood up and stepped out of the way. The captives saw that the board was covered with various foodstuffs. There were dark strips of some kind of meat in the center, surrounded by what was obviously vegetables, or perhaps fruit.

One of the creatures approached them, and Elena recognized it as the one she had spoken to yesterday.

"_Yago_," it said, sweeping it's hand toward the platter.

"Looks like they want us to eat," Reno commented, stating the obvious.

Aeris eyed the uncooked meat.

"I'm not touching that," she said distastefully.

"I don't think any of us will," Cloud stated. He had no idea what sort of creature that meat had come from, and he really didn't want to know.

"For all we know, every item on there could be toxic to us," Reno stated pessimistically.

Cloud had to admit he had a point. Just because it was food for the Chadara didn't mean it would be good for them.

"We had food in our backpacks," Cloud commented.

"Which they took from us," Tifa pointed out.

The Chadara had removed their backpacks as soon as they had arrived here, and Cloud had no idea what they had done with them.

"Maybe we can get them to give them back to us," he said.

"How do you propose going about doing that?" Reno questioned.

The Chadara seemed puzzled by their reluctance.

"Hooman," he said, looking at Elena. Once more he gestured toward the food. "_Yago_."

The others looked at Elena.

"Human?" Cloud said.

"It's the only word he knows," Elena said with a shrug.

"I'm afraid the lessons didn't get much past that point."

"Maybe you can convince him to give us our backpacks back," Cloud said.

Elena frowned.

"What makes you think I can convince him of anything?" she questioned.

Cloud shrugged.

"I think he likes you," Reno observed.

"Don't be ridiculous," Elena countered.

"Just give it a try," Cloud said.

Elena just looked at him. What they hell did they think she was? She looked at the creature, which stood motionless, watching them all, an unreadble expression on his face.

"Oh very well," she said, giving in. It couldn't hurt to try.

She turned Cloud around and tapped him on the back.

"Backpack," she said, looking at the creature. "We need backpack."

She turned toward the creature and lifted her arms questioningly.

The creature did not move. He seemed however, to be very interested in what she was doing. She had to admit he seemed to be trying very hard to understand.

She said backpack a few more times, moving her hands to try to simulate the item, but the Chadara never indicated in any way that he understood.

The creature bobbed it's head around with an odd circular motion. Elena wondered if that was it's way of showing puzzlement, or skaking it's head.

"_Yago_," it said once more.

Elena's hands fell to her sides.

"We're not getting through to it," she said.

"Apparently," Reno concurred.

He walked over to the platter and looked down at the food.

"Looks like if we want to eat, we're stuck with this."

"I'm not hungry," Aeris stated, her voice leaving no room for argument.

Reno reached down and picked up something that looked similar to a tomato. He held it out.

"So who gets to be the guinea pig?" he asked.

He looked at the others, the expression on his face almost a challenge.

"Why don't you try it yourself, Reno?" Tifa questioned.

Reno smirked at her.

"I would, but as leader of little band, I think that honor should be reserved for Cloud here."

He stood up again and proffered the item to the blonde man.

"Unless of course, he hasn't got the guts," Reno suggested slowly.

Cloud hesitated a moment, then reached out and plucked the item from Reno's hand.

"Cloud.." Tifa began, but before she could finish he brought it up to his lips and took an enourmous bite.

The others just stood there looking at him as he chewed it thoughtfully. It took him a long time to finish chewing, but finally he swallowed it down.

The others waited impatiently for his verdict. For an annoyingly long time he just stood there, looking at Reno.

"Not bad," he said finally, and took another bite. "Tastes like watermelon."

Reno looked almost disappointed.

"Maybe it's slow acting," he muttered.

"I think you're all being way too paranoid," Elena stated, reaching down and picking up one of the fruit herself. Without hesitation she started eating.

Tifs joined in as well. Reno stood there looking at them, then finally, after Cloud had eaten three without showing any sign of ill effects, he picked one up himself. Only Aeris remained apart.

As soon as they started eating two of the Chadara left. The one that has spoken to them remained. It sat down not far away from them, watching every move they made.

"He seems to be studying us," Cloud commented.

"I think he's very curious about us," Elena said.

"Seems like some kind of voyuer to me," Reno stated.

"Oh Reno, must you pervert everything?" Elena snapped. "I think he's just trying to understand us."

"If he's trying to understand you, good luck to him, I say," Reno retorted. "I've been trying to do that for years, and it's hopeless."

Elena smiled sweetly. She knew Reno hadn't meant it as a compliment, but she took it as one.

"Well, we can't just refer to him as 'it'," Tifa said. "We've got to give him a name."

"A name?" Reno said with a frown.

"Yeah," Aeris agreed. "He's got to have a name."

"How 'bout the Observer?" Cloud suggested.

"The Observer?" Elena said. "Oh, that's so cold. If we're going to name him, we've got to give him a real name."

"It was only a suggestion," Cloud said defensively.

"So what do you suggest?" Tifa said, looking at Elena.

Elena hesitated, looking over at the creature. He returned her gaze cooly.

"How about Violet?" she said.

"Violet?" Reno spat out. "What kind of stupid name is that?"

Cloud gave her a sour look as well.

"Well, he's got violet eyes," she snapped. "And it's certainly better than 'the Observer'."

"Hey, I said it was only a suggestion," Cloud said.

"It sounds like a girl's name," Reno said scornfully.

"Well, how do we know he's not a female?" Elena stated.

"He doesn't seem like a female to me," Tifa said slowly.

Elena was about to argue. How would they know what a female of an alien species would be like? How did they know they even had male and female? But she looked at the Chadara again and decided against it. It may be only a gut reaction on their part, but it seemed like a male to her as well.

"Okay," she said slowly. "How about...Winslow?"

"Winslow?" Reno said, shaking his head. "That's as bad as Violet. I wouldn't name my dog Winslow. Where do you come up with this crap?"

Elena pinned him with a glare.

"My father's name was Winslow," she said, her voice sizzling with venom.

Reno shut his mouth and looked up at the ceiling.

"Oops," Cloud muttered, unable to conceal his glee.

"What's so funny?" Elena said, his smile having drawn her attention.

"Nothing," he replied, the smile instantly disappearing. "Winslow it is."

Aeris suddenly turned her head. She stood there for a moment as if listening for something. Cloud looked at her.

"Aeris, what..."

The Chadara suddenly got to his feet. Outside they could hear what sounded like shouts. The creature unfolded it's wings and quickly lifted into the sky. Aeris walked over to the window and looked out, the others coming up behind her. The mountains they had come from were behind them, and beyond the city in this direction they could see the dull red plain stretching off to the horizen. Far out on the plain, but close enough to see, they could make out a line of dark objects. The objects were moving slowly, and though they were kicking up a fine cloud of red dust around them, it was clear they were approaching the city.

Cloud shaded his eyes from the sun and squinted at the objects below. He couldn't tell whether they were vehicles or wagons or beasts, but it looked like some kind of caravan.

"Looks like these creatures don't spend all their time flying after all," he stated.

None of the others spoke. He glanced up at Aeris and saw she was staing out at the caravan, her face pale. Slowly she took a step back.

"What's wrong," Cloud said. "What is it?"

The others all turned to look at her as well. For a moment she just stood there, her eyes wide, slowly shaking her head. Then she spoke, and her voice quivered.

"Jenova," she said. "Jenova is coming."


	18. Ride 'em Cowboy

CHAPTER XVIII

RIDE 'EM COWBOY

Tierlok sat on the back of the chendu, staring at the city ahead of him as the caravan slowly approached it. A hot wind blew from the west, scattering dust into the air, and he had to pull his hood down to prevent it from blowing in his face.

How he hated traveling to the outer districts. The infernal dust got into everything, even the food and water, no matter how tightly sealed. And it was hell on machinery. Nothing worked for long out here in the desert. The sand always managed to find it's way into the the most delicate places, and was constantly causing breakdowns.

Tierlok stared down in disgust at the beast he was perched upon. Fithy creatures. They were ungainly and covered with course hair that itched like the devil when it got on one's person, and they stunk. But they were bred for desert life, and could go weeks without food, and never seemed to need water at all. For all their technology, when it came to traveling in the desert, these awkward creatures were more efficient than any vehicle thay possessed.

He glanced once again at the city ahead of them. He couldn't remember the last time he had been here, but he saw that the city had expanded quite a bit since that time. When he had last come here, it had been nothing more than a small town. These Chadara were quite industrious when left to themselves.

Well, that was fine with him. Let the Chadara do whatever they want in this God forsaken place, as long as they didn't interfere with Jenova plans. Tierlok would have been perfectly happy to never see this place again, to totally ignore the Chadara living out their puny little lives here.

But the information he had recieved was impossible to ignore. Strangers, strangers that were not Chadara had been found here. Beings the Chadara had never seen before. Even if he thought it was some mistake, there was no way he could ignore it. He had wanted to send a Chadara leiutenant out to bring the strangers in, but Dujin had commanded he go himself, and had made it apparent that he would settle for nothing less. Tierlok had not argued. He hadn't reached his position as master of the northern region by disagreeing with Dujin.

So now he was out here, traveling through this dust covered hell, on a mission he was certain was a complete waste of time. The Chadara weren't the brightest of creatures in the universe. They had probably just found some kind of animal that they thought was intelligent. If that were the case, someone was going to pay dearly for dragging him all the way out here.

They were moving steadily towards the city. The chendu were not known for their speed. No one had ever seen one run, and he wouldn't be surprised if they were incapable of it. They just plodded along, slow but sure.

They had just passed over a rickety wooden bridge that spanned a narrow ravine when he felt it.

He sat bolt upright, his back stiffening, his eyes growing wide. Involuntarily his hands dropped the reins of the chendu, and the beast halted. The Chadara leiutenants around him also stopped, looking curiously at him. But he didn't paid them any attention. He was staring at the city in front of them. It couldn't be, it wasn't possible, but there was no mistaking this feeling, this sensation that had been handed down through generations of Jenova conscioussness. In spite of never having felt it in his lifetime, he recognized it immediately.

Somewhere in the city in front of them was a Destroyer.

The caravan stood motionless around him, the Chadara glancing at him and looking at one another in puzzlement, but he made no motion for them to continue. Finally, after a long silence, Zarkierilee, the captain of his guard, rode up beside him.

"Master?" he questioned hesitantly.

Teirlok turned toward him so sharply it made the Chadara flinch back.

"Get the strangers," he commanded. "Get them and bring them to me immediately."

Zarkierilee nodded. He barked out some orders and he and six other Chadara spread their wings and lifted into the air, the silver armour that marked them as Jenova guards glinting in the sunlight. Each one carried a long silver rod slung across his back as well, a rounded knob on one end. They quickly flew off in the direction of the city.

For a moment Tierlok watched them winging their way to the town, then he spurred his beast forward, and the caravan began moving once again.

Tierlok cursed the beasts for their lack of speed. All thoughts of his discomfort and the desert around him had vanished, as well as any punishment for dragging him out here. His one thought now was to see these strangers as quickly as possible. If there was truely a Destroyer here, and if he brought them back with him to present to Dujin, who knew what kind of honors he would obtain? Master of the northern region would become just a stepping stone. If he captured a Destroyer, anything became possible. He could imagine himself one day even replacing Dujin as Prime Leader of Grouchoon.

But that was in the future. He kicked angrily at the chendu beneath him, trying to force more speed out of it, but the beast was impervious to his exhortations. He looked up and saw that Zarkierilee and his men were returning. With a curse he called for the caravan to halt. What little progress they could make on the ground was not going to make any difference. Zarkierilee was going to reach them in a few minutes, whether they continued forward or not.

He stared at the Chadara as they approached, looking carefully at the burdens they carried. There were five of them. The feelings inside him became stronger, and suddenly he felt a sudden fear. The Jenova consciousness told him the Cetra were a fierce enemy. More dangerous than anything else they had ever faced. And now he was about to face five of them, with no other Jenova to assist him, only the Chadara guards. Was this some kind of trick, some Cetra tactic to lure him into a trap?

He looked around hesitantly. He could see the remaining Chadara looking at him curiously. He knew they could sense his unease. He deliberatly forced himself to relax. They stood on an open plain, far from any possibility of ambush. The Cetra had been easily captured by the Chadara, of all people. What could he possibly have to fear from them?

Nevertheless, though he managed to supress the fear, he couldn't eliminate it all together.

Zarkierilee swooped down out of the sky and landed beside the caravan, right in front of Tierlok. He dropped his burden, drew out the long rod he carried, and walked over to stand beside Tierlok's chendu. The other's quickly followd, until the five prisoners stood on the ground in front of Tierlok.

They didn't look particuarly dangerous, Tierlok thought, begining to feel a bit better. In fact, they looked downright puny. Still, the age old loathing he had for the Destroyers refused to let his fears fade away completely.

As he looked at them a frown formed on his face. There was something wrong. The feeling...the feeling didn't seem to emanate from all of them. He slowly looked at them all, and his gaze feel on the woman with light brown hair and green eyes. That was the one, that was the only one. She was the only Cetra among them.

Yet there was something else. Slowly his eyes turned to the young man with blonde hair. For a moment Tierlok stared at him, and slolwy his eyes widened in surprise for a second time that day. Again there was no mistaking the feeling, it was very weak, weaker than he had ever felt it, but it was there. This creature was a Jenova!

But it couldn't be. No, not a complete Jenova. There was something missing. It was so faint he could barely feel it. It wasn't a Jenova, but it was some part of Jenova. But how could that be? How could something be Jenova and not be Jenova? Yet there was no denying it.

"What are you?" he found himself saying.

The creature just looked at him. Then it spoke, turning to look at the others. Tierlok could not understand what it was saying.

He looked at the other three. He got no feeling from them whatsoever. They were not Cetra, even though their appearance was similar to the Destroyer. Nor were they Jenova. And they were obviously not Chadara. He could sense nothing at all from them. Were they some kind of faulty Cetra?

He realized whatever he had here, it was totally beyond his ken. He was not a scientist, he was an administrator. But it didn't matter. There value was in his bringing them back. What they eventually turned out to be was not really his concern. The important thing was they did not appear to be a threat. He had to get them back to Daris as quickly as possible. Dujin would decide what to do with them after that.

"Seperate them and put them on chendus," he commanded. "Have a Chadara assigned to each one. I don't want them to cause any trouble, and if any of them escape, someone will pay with their life."

Zarkierilee nodded.

"Yes, master."

Tierlok looked back at the caravan.

"Turn the caravan around. We're heading back to Daris as quickly as possible."

With that he swung his own beast around. Behind him the Chadara scrambled to get the prisoners on chendu and turn the caravan around. Teirlok did not look back. He knew the Chadara would obey. They had no choice. His only thought now was getting away from this hellhole as quickly as possible. He wrinkled his nose. Though the trip had been worth it, it was still going to take him a week in the baths to get rid of this stink.

* * *

Reeve stopped for a moment to catch his breath. For the last hour he had made his way toward the city as fast as he could go, and now he had nearly reached the first outlying buildings. He made no attempt to hide, in fact, he wanted to be seen. He figured capture was inevitable now, and it might be the only way he could save Zack.

But now that he wanted to get their attention, none of the creatures seemed to take any interest in him. Something to the north seemed to be occupying there full attention. He could a cloud of dust off in that direction, but there was something else there as well. He couldn't see very much, but he could make out a long line of what appeared to be some kind of beasts.

There were many of the creatures in the air, but they all seemed to be focused on the beasts to the north. Even when he jumped up and down, waving his arms and yelling, he had not gotten any response. So he just kept moving toward the city, thinking eventually one of them was bound to notice him.

Even now there were six or seven of the creatures in the sky, hovering above the city to the north of him, though they did not seem to be doing much of anything. As he looked up he saw six more climb up from the city below. He looked at them with interest, for they were different. The creatures he had seen so far were greyish in color, and had not seemed to be wearing any kind of garmet, but these wore what appeared in the distance to be some kind of armor, for it was silver and reflected the sunlight. He had seem them fly into the town from the north a short while ago, and that was when they had first attracted his attention, but now they appeared to be returning the way they had come, and though they were still far away, he could see that some of them were carrying a human form.

"Hey!" he yelled, waving his arms again, jogging forward.

The creatures quickly flew off to the north, obviously heading for the long line of beasts.

Reeve stopped and shook his head in disgust.

"What do I have to do, shoot up a flare?" he muttered.

He walked on. He passed one of the buildings, noting the odd holes in the sides. The buildings looked like they had been attacked by a giant woodpecker.

The creatures that had been in the sky dropped down and disappeared, much to his chagrin. He looked to the north again and saw that the line of beast was moving away.

There were buildings all around him now, yet incredibly, he was still being ignored. He took a close look at one of the buildings, thinking perhaps he would find something inside, but there seemed no way to get in, at least not from the ground. The large holes in the sides started far above his head.

"Hello? Anybody home?" he called out as he walked between the structures.

He looked up to see one of the creatures peering down at him from a nearby building. He stopped and put his hands on his hips.

"Well it's about time," he stated.

The creature spread it's wings and glided out of the building, heading straight for him. It spread out it's clawed hands.

Reeve resisted the urge to turn and run. The creatures had abducted the others, but they hadn't invaded it's city. For a fleeting moment the though came to him that the creature would just kill him.

He gritted his teeth as stood his ground. The creature rushed toward him, and then the air was knocked out of him as it made contact. He felt himself being wrenched backward, then he was in the air, firmly held in the creatures arms.

"You've got to help me!" he shouted, pounding on the creature to try to get it's attention. "I've got a friend who needs assistance. Over that way!"

He pointed back the way he came, looking up at the creature, who seemed to be completely ignoring his protestations,and instead was winginig it's way quickly to the north, toward the long line of beasts that had now disappeared from view, although the cloud of dust it was kicking up was still plainly visible on the horizen.

"No, we've got to go that way!" Reeve shouted, still pointed. "We've got to go help my friend!"

After a few minutes it began to sink in that he wasn't going to get through. The creature could not understand him, and if it was paying any mind at all to what he was doing, it was probably just thinking he was protesting being taken by it. His whole focus up to this point had been to somehow get to the city, but now he realized he had never really considered what would happen then. He had just assumed that he would be somehow able to communicate with them, to make them understand that he needed to help Zack. Only now did he realize just what a barrier lack of a common language could create.

"Damn, how the hell am I going to get through to you?" he shouted.

Reeve felt the bottom drop out from under him as the creature suddenly dived to the left.

"What the hell?" Reeve protested.

He turned just in time to see another of the creatured diving down towards them.

A clawed hand reached out and grabbed hold of his arm. Another claw slashed. Reeve heard a screech, and then found himself soaked in crimson. The orignal creature let go of him, and he found himself dangling fifty feet above the plain, one arm firmly held by the second creature.

The beast that was holding him dived down now, plunging downward at gut wrenching speed. For a moment Reeve though it was going to drive right into the hard packed dirt below them, but it leveled off about ten feet off the ground, and let him go.

Reeve hit the ground and tumbled to a halt. He pulled himself up, ignoring the cuts and bruises from the landing, and looked up at the creatures battled above him. It didn't last long. The one that had originally caught him had been severly wounded in the first attack, and did not put much of a fight before it dropped to the ground not far away from him. The impact kicking up a cloud of dust and surely finishing the creature off if it still lived.

The second beast glided down to land not far away from him. He stood there, motionless. He didn't know what had happened, This creature had killed the other one, and it seemed pretty obvious he was the reason, but the creatures motives for doing so were lost to him.

The creature stood there for a moment, head bowed, not even glancing over at him.Then with a cry it transformed and Vincent stood before him.

Reeve felt a flood of relief washing over him.

"Vincent, thank God it's you!" he exclaimed.

The ex turk just stood there looking at him, his face expressionless.

Reeve walked over to him and quickly explained what had happened to Zack. Vincent was silent when Reeve finished, the story not appearing to make much of an impression on him.

"We've got to get help for him," Reeve said urgently. "I didn't know what to do. He could be dead already!"

Reeve stopped. Vincent was looking at him, but he didn't really seem to be paying any attention. His face was expressionless and he had a far away look in his eyes.

"Vincent?" Reeve said.

Vincent was silent for a moment, then seemed almost to have to force himself to look at Reeve.

"Where is he?" he questioned.

"Back that way," Reeve pointed. "By the ridge. I left him in a cave just beneath it."

Vincent looked back the way Reeve indicated. Again he was silent for a long time.

"We've got to do something!" Reeve exclaimed.

Vincent nodded.

"And you say the others were carried off to the north?" he asked.

"Yes," Reeve replied. "But finding Zack is more important right now. I think if he doesn't get help soon, he's going to die."

Even this seemed to provoke no reaction. Reeve frowned.

"Vincent, what's wrong with you?"

Vincent slowly turned toward him. He understood that what Reeve was conveying needed urgent attention, he understood that Zack might die at any moment, yet he did not feel Reeve's desperation. He did not feel anything at all. It was almost as if this whole thing were a dream, and he was just an outsider observing it, but not interfering. He had almost let the creature pass when he had seen it flying by bearing Reeve. It had taken a struggle of will to remind himself that this was his friend, that they needed his help. He shook his head to try to clear it. Was _**was**_ wrong with him?

"I'm not sure," he replied. "But it's of no concern."

He stared at the craggy ridge that Reeve had pointed out. More than anything he just wanted to get away. Now would be a good time. He had already left them and he didn't want to face them again. A clean break was the best thing. If he went back and helped now, he might not get this chance again.

But much as he wanted to, he couldn't just abandon them. He knew going back would just make it more difficult for all of them, but he couldn't just leave them like this. He had to at the very least alert the others of the problem. Zack's life might depend on it.

"I'll try to find him," he said. "Or at least let the others know."

Reeve nodded, relief written on his face.

Normally transformation was a difficult thing, and Vincent could only do it in times of stress, more or less uncontrollably. But now it seemed almost the opposite. Even now, with no provocation, the urge to transform was strong. In fact, he had had a difficult time transforming back to human after he had rescued Reeve. He wasn't sure what was happening, but whatever it was, it was aiding them at the moment. He could easily transform into the chaos beast and fly back to the ridge. He looked at Reeve. He could carry Reeve back with him, but it would slow him down, and speed was obviously of the essense. Besides, they still had the others to worry about.

He looked to the north.

"You follow the others."

Reeve looked at him in surprise.

"Follow the others?"

"Yes, it might be a good idea to have someone who knows where they are being taken."

Reeve could barely make out the dark cloud of dust to the north. He looked back at Vincent, confused.

"How do you expect me to follow them?" he questioned. "I can't fly, and I'll never catch up with them on foot."

Vincent pointed to the left. Reeve turned to see three large beasts near one of the buildings of the city.

"Take one of those," he replied.

Reeve just stared at the creatures.

"But...I don't even know..."

He turned and saw that Vincent was no longer there. He had already transformed and was even now flying rapidly toward the ridge Reeve had pointed out. Reeve stood there shaking his head.

"He's nuts," he muttered.

He turned once more and started walking over toward the beasts. As he approached he saw that they resembled a cross between a camel and an elephant. They were about the size of an elephant, and had a trunk, though it was shorter than an elephants, but they were the color of camels and had the camel's hump backed shape. They seemed to be grazing on the sparse tough grass that grew in ragged clumps across the plain. There was no fence, and they did not seem to be restained in any way, yet the reins and saddles clearly indicated that these were not wild creatures, or were at least tame enough to ride.

Still, just because someone rode them didn't mean he could. Sure, he had ridden chocobos, but somehow he suspected the experiences would be vastly dissimilar. How the hell did Vincent expect him to ride one of these things?

He stopped and looked back, but Vincent was no longer in sight. He turned back toward the city. No matter how reluctant he might be, he didn't have much in the way of alternatives. Any miniute now he could be spotted again, and this time he didn't want to get captured and Vincent wasn't around to save his neck. All he could do on foot was head back to the rocket, and he wasn't going to do anyone a bit of good by doing that.

He reluctantly approached the animals in front of him. As he neared the closest one looked up at him and seemed to eye him warily.

"Nice...thing," Reeve said, trying to make his voice sound soothing and calm. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just need a little ride."

The creature went back to pulling up tufts of grass.

"That's it," Reeve said, walking slowly toward it. "Just take it easy."

When he was only a pace or two away the creature lifted it's head again. At full height the beast towered over him. He cringed as it let out a loud bellow.

He stood there motionless, waiting for it to get fed up and just step on him. But eventually it lowered it's head and started feeding again.

He stood right beside it now. All that was left to do was reach out and haul himself aboard.

"This is insane," he said.

He took a deep breath and grabbed hold of the reins, then pulled himself up the short rope ladder that hung from it's side, before the creature had a chance to react.

He sat there, waiting for it to throw him off, but nothing happened. The creature just continued to feed, ignoring him.

He looked around thoughtfully.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," he commented.

He slapped the reins against the beast side.

"Giddyap."

Again, nothing happened.

Reeve sat there for a few moments. He experimented with the reins, pulling them this way and that. He kicked his feet into the side of the beast, all to no avail The creature acted like he didn't exist.

"Damn," he muttered. "Where's the start button?"

He noticed a wooden rod in some sort of holder at the back of the saddle. He pulled it out. It was about six feet long and felt quite solid in his hand.

He looked down at the beast, then hesitantly smacked it on the shoulder with the rod.

Still nothing happened.

"C'mon," he muttered angrily.

He looked back and smacked it on the rump.

With a bellow of protest the creature lumbered forward, so unexpectantly that Reeve was nearly tossed from his seat. It took him a moment to steady himself. Finally the damn thing was moving! It was walking forward at a steady pace, in exactly the opposite direction that he wanted to go.

"No, the other way!" he cried out.

He pulled on the reins, tugging this way and that, and after a few minutes the beast turned. It seemed to take it forever, but eventually he had it moving in the direction he wanted to go.

He looked ahead, out over the plain. A cloud of dust still hung in the air to the north, like a finger pointing to his goal, though he could no longer see any sign of the caravan itself. He was probably hours behind it by now.

He looked back and saw the city slowly but surely dropping behind him. He had to be crazy to be doing this, riding this strange beast to some unknown destination, on a planet thousand of miles from his home. If he had any brains at all he'd head back to the mountains, back to the ship to get the others. He'd never catch up to the caravan. In fact, he would probably just end up getting captured again, or lost in the desert, or trampled by the beast he now sat upon, or anyone of a dozen different and painful ends. The only logical thing to do was to turn around.

In spite of that he did not alter course, but the kept the beast heading north, following the dust trail of the caravan that had left him far behind.

* * *

"This is hopeless!"

Barret glared at Yuffie.

"You haven't stopped complaining since we walked out of the rocket. Why did you even come along?"

"You know you're going to need me if you have to fight," she replied.

"Yeah right," Barret replied.

They stood just at the edge of the foothills. In front of them was the open plain, with the city in plain view no more than a kilometer or two away.

"We're never going to find him," Yuffie continued. "He can fly, for chrissakes. How are we supposed to track him? It's impossible!"

Barret just mumbled something unintelligable. Much as he didn't want to admit it, she had a point. Altim had turned out to be quite adept at tracking, and they had come quite a ways on Vincent's trail, but now it had suddenly vanished, and Altim had not been able to pick it up again. If he had transfromed, there was no way they could follow. He turned to look at Ellengio.

The Ancient looked around for a moment.

"The trial led in a fairly straight line toward the city," he said. "It seems logical to conclude he was headed in that direction."

"Logical?" Yuffie stated. "Need I remind you we're talking about Vincent here. You know, the guy who totally loses it and turns into a raging beast?"

"Oh shut up, Yuffie," Barret snarled.

"Calm down, you two," Ellengio said irritably. He turned to Yuffie. "Look around you. There really isn't any place else he can go."

Yuffie looked about to snap back at him, but held her tongue.

"Let's get going," Barret said.

As they started forward Yuffie muttered something under her breath.

"If you don't want to go, you can always go back," Barret snapped. "Or sit here waiting for us to return."

"I didn't say anything," Yuffie retorted.

"I heard you say something," Barret replied.

Yuffie gave him a frustrated look, but said nothing.

They picked their way slowly across the rocky expanse, heading slowly closer to the city in front of them.

"Cait, let Cid know we're headed for the city," Barret said abrugpty.

"Right," Cait replied.

Altim was in the lead, his eyes cast downward for any sign that Vincent might have been here before them. Ellengio followed, with Barret right beside him. Cait was not far behind them, while Yuffie quickly fell back and trialed them by a considerable distance.

"Do you think we might run into Cloud and his group?" Barret asked. "They were headed for the city. Cait, they haven't returned to the ship, have they?"

Cait shook his head.

"Cid hasn't heard anything from them at all," he replied.

"I hope they haven't gotten themselves in any trouble," Barret said.

The hint of a shadow glanced fleetingly on the rocks nearby brought Altim to an abrupt halt, his hand reaching for his dagger.

The others saw him and stopped as well.

Altim looked up.

"There!" he exclaimed.

They followed his gaze and saw one of the flying beasts diving down towards them.

At first Barret thought the creature was coming right at them. He lifted his gun arm, but hesitated when it flew to the side and dropped down to the ground not far away from them.

Yuffie ran up beside them, drawing her sherukin back.

"Wait!" Ellengio commanded.

The creature was standing nearby, making no threatening moves. In fact, it seemed to be ignoring them completely. It stood motionless, looking down at the ground, as if concentrating on something.

For a long time nothing happened. Then the transfomation took place.

"Vincent!" Yuffie exclaimed.

They all rushed up beside him. He had a dazed expression on his face, and at first just looked at them all blankly. But then his senses seemed to return to him.

"It's getting more and more difficult," he said slowly.

"The transformation?" Ellengio questioned, looking at him carefully.

"Yes," Vincent replied. "It used to be difficult to go from man to beast, but now it's reversed. I think it has something to do with this planet."

"You could very well be right," Ellengio agreed. "I have some theories on that."

Vincent shook his head.

"We don't have time for that now."

He explained to them what Reeve had told him.

"I was returning to attempt to find Zack when I spotted you," he finished. "The ridge Reeve said Zack was near is right over there," he continued, pointed to a sharp crag not far away. "It might be quicker if we all search. According to Reeve, Zack could die at any moment."

"Let us make haste then," Ellengio said.

It only took then a few minutes to reach the area in question. When they did so they fanned out. Altim almost immediately found the trail that Reeve and Zack had left. They followed it straight to a cave, but when they entered they found it deserted.

Altim bent down and carefully examined the floor of the cavern while the others stood by.

"Well, what happened?" Yuffie questioned impatiently. Perhaps Reeve had overestimated the danger. Maybe Zack had recovered. "Did he walk out of here on his own?"

Altim did not answer. He wandered around the cavern a bit, finally stopping near the back and calling them over.

"Zack didn't leave on his own," he said. "Both Reeve and Zack's footprints come in, but only Reeve's leave. But look at this."

He pointed to the ground. They could make out faint footprints in the dirt, and it was clear that they were not make by a human.

"A Chadara?" Barret questioned.

Altim shook his head.

"I don't think so," he replied. "I took a good look at the tracks of the one that Vincent killed, and although they are similar, there are some significant differences."

"So what the hell was it then?" Yuffie questioend.

"I don't know," Altim replied.

He led them back to the entrance of the cave.

"Yes, the tracks do come out," he confirmed.

"But Zack's don't," Cait said.

"Correct," Altim confirmed. "And since Zack is not in the cave, the only conclusion we can come to is that this other creature took him out."

"Or ate him," Yuffie stated pessimistically.

"Possibly," Ellengio said, taking her comment surprisingly seriously. "But you would think if that were the case there would be some remains."

Altim walked slowy out of the cave, scanning the ground, stooped over so low he was practically on his hands and knees. After a few minutes he stood up.

"The trail disappaers here," he said.

"Just vanishes?" Ellengio questioned.

"As far as I can see," Altim replied. "The ground is hard here. It didn't leave much of a trail, but it does seem to just disappear."

"Like it flew," Barret stated.

Altim nodded.

They stood there in silence for a few moments.

"So what do we do now?" Barret questioned.

They all turned to face Ellengio.

"It would appear that finding Zack is no longer an option," he said hesitantly. "We can't track these things through the air, and he could be anyplace by now. If the creature took him, it would have to be for some purpose. If we assume they are intelligent, then we can only hope that the crature can help him somehow."

"That's seems to be an awful lot of assuming to me," Yuffie stated.

"You're right," Ellengio agreed. "But there isn't anything we can do about it. I'm afraid it's out of our hands."

None of the others looked too pleased with this assessment.

"I think we have little choice now but to head back to the ship and regroup."

"But what about Cloud and his group?" Barret objected. "Reeve told Vincent they were captured. Can't we do anything for them?"

Ellengio looked around. Except for the city the plain for as far as they could see was empty and barren. There was no sign of the caravan Vincent had mentioned.

"We don't know where they were taken, and in any case we can't follow on foot. We have no supplies for an extended journey. We're just going to have to depend on Reeve on that one."

"Great," Yuffie muttered.

"Once we get back to the ship we can decide on our next step," Ellengo finished. "Unless someone had a better idea?"

He looekd around, but no one spoke.

"All right, let's go."

"I'm not going with you."

They all turned to look at Vincent.

"What do you mean?" Barret questioned.

"I've caused too much pain," Vincent said. "Every time I interact with others, it leads to disaster. It's my fault that Elena died."

Barret frowned.

"That's ridiculous," he said. "You had nothing to do with Elena's death. You weren't even there!"

Vincent shook his head.

"No, it was my fault. Anything I hold dear turns to dust. That is my curse. The moment I first took her in my arms, she was destined to die."

Yuffie looked at him like he had two heads.

"Have you lost your mind completely?" she questioned.

"It is true," he said simplly.

"It's bullshit!" Yuffie retorted.

Yuffie!" Ellengio warned. Vincent made no reply, but there was no hint of anger on his face.

"Vincent," Ellengio said. "I know this is difficult. I know Elena's death was a horrible thing. But we need you. Now more than ever."

Vincent shook his head.

"You don't need me," he replied. "I never really made much of a contribution to the group. Avalanche will get along fine without me."

"No, not this time," Ellengio countered. "This time your role is vital. In fact, you are the one we can least do without. You are our link."

Juat a hint of puzzlement clouded Vincent's eyes.

"What do you mean?"

Ellengio walked up until he stood right beside Vincent.

"It's just a theory," Ellengio said. "I'm sure you've noticed the similarity between the chaos beast and the Chadara."

Vincent nodded.

"It seems to me that the odds of that happening by chance would be vanishingly small."

"I thought the same thing," Vincent said.

"Which means that it's more than simple chance. I think there's a conncection, and I think it has to do with what Hojo did to you."

Vincent did not reply to that. They all stood there in silence, waiting for Ellengio to continue.

"Hojo had access to Jenova cells, and implanted them in a number of people," Ellengio went on. "But he also had knowledge of the Chadara remains that were found with the book. It's possible he could have extracted some DNA from those remains, and injected it in you as part of his experiments on you."

Vincent's eyes widened just a hint to suggest his surprise.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that the chaos beast is similar to the Chadara. I think there's a direct connection. The chaos beast is a Chadara. Which means that when you transform you are a Chadara."

Vincent took a deep breath. He had to admit what Ellengio was proposing made sense, made perfect sense.

"We need to communicate with the Chadara," Ellengio continued. "We need to know everything we can about them. You might not know their language, but short of capturing one, you're our best chance of learning more about them, and you might be our only hope of reaching them, making them understand that we are both on the same side. We may not be able to do it without you."

Vincent did not reply. His mind raced, looking for loopholes in Elelngio's logic, but deep down inside, he had the growing conviction that everything Ellengio was telling him was true.

"Remember, we're not just doing this for ourselves," Ellengio went on. "Our whole planet is at stake. And this planet too. If we succeed, it is inevitable that any Jenova on this planet will be doomed. By helping us you will be saving not only your homworld, but the Chadara's as well."

Vincent turned and walked away, thinking furiously. He didn't want this to be true. He didn't want the burden. All he wanted to do was leave, to go far away, to leave all responsibility behind him, to just have to worry about himself. To walk out into the desert, to not have to worry about hurting anyone else, would be a relief. He didn't want this to happen, he didn't want to play such a vital role. Not now, not when he finally understood what he had to do.

But he couldn't just abandon everyone. Not now, not when the stakes were so high. No matter how he felt about it, no matter how reluctant he was, he couldn't ignore the logic of Ellengio's arguement. He turned back toward them.

"Very well, I'll stay with you. I'll help you however I can. But I promise you this. When this is all over I'm going to walk out into the desert, and I don't want anyone to try to stop me. I will stay with you only on that condition."

"Vincent, be reasonable," Barert began.

"That is my condition," Vincent retorted. "There will be no negotiation."

Barret looked helplessly at Ellengio.

"Fine," Ellengio said slowly. "If you are still determined to leave when we have completed our mission, no one will attempt to stop you, or try to talk you out of it."

Vincent looked at them all closely, then nodded.

"I know what you are thinking," he said. "You think I will change my mind in that time. Very well, believe that if you must. Believe whatever you want, but no matter what you think, when this is all over, I _**will**_ leave."


	19. Violation

CHAPTER XIX

VIOLATION

Cloud sat sullenly on the back of the great beast as it plodded northward. He was not confined in any way. A chadara sat behind him, but it didn't seem particularly wary. He though he could easily toss if off. But what then? He didn't know how to control the beast they were riding. He couldn't possibly get away from the others in the caravan. He had no weapon and the other chadara could quickly come to this one's aid. He couldn't fight all of them.

He looked around at the barren plain surrounding them. The city had long since faded away behind them. Nothing broke the open plain for miles around except for some scraggily looking trees. There was no place to go, no place for him to hide. And besides, even if there was, he couldn't leave the others.

He looked ahead. He could see Reno, four beasts in front of his own. Too far away to talk, or pass any signals. The girls were even farther up in the long line. He couldn't see them at all. No, there was nothing he could do at the moment. He would just have to bide his time and wait for the right moment.

The chadara behind him kept smacking the beast with a long stick. Cloud could see the others riders doing the same. They seemed to be urging the beasts on, but it appeared to be having little effect. The creatures plodded on with a steady pace, not very fast, and seemed reluctant to move even that fast. A number of times one would start to break ranks, headed for a clump of grass growing near the line of travel, and the rider had to prod it, most of the times with great difficulty, to get back in line.

But even though they were barely moving faster than a man could walk, and even with the waywardness of the creatures, they made slow but steady progress. The sun slowly sank into the sky, and night fell. The heat of the day slowly dissipated, replaced by a pleasent coolness. Cloud hoped they would stop and make camp, figuring that might give them an opportunity to escape. If they got away, at least in the darkness they'd have a chance. But the caravan showed no sign of stopping. They rode on through the night, moving ever northward.

Things hadn't turned out at all like they'd planned. First they had lost Elena, then Vincent had vanished, and now he and the others with him were captured. All in a matter of two days! Hadn't taken them long to totally mess things up.

He wondered what the others were doing. It didn't seem likely he would be getting any assistance from them. They probably didn't even know what had happened, didn't even know he and the others were far from the ship, far from the city. Even if they did know, there wasn't much they could do about it. They couldn't follow the caravan on foot. And besides, they didn't have time to spend starting a rescue mission. They had to get the crystal materia to the shield generator. That was their primary mission. What happend beyond that didn't matter. Cloud and the others were expendable.

In the darkness around them, he began to notice hills looming up on either side of them. They seemed to be traveling through a wide valley. He wondered just how far they had gone.

A light up ahead caught his attention. The caravan had been traveling in darkness, the beasts they rode seeming as much at ease in the night as they had been in the day. The light was on a hill ahead of them. At first he could not determine the source, but as they proceeded he saw the dim outline of a building up on the hill. The first one he had seen since leaving the city behind them.

Past the building the hills curved away to the the left. They came around the turn and their pathway dropped down. Ahead of them, nestled at the bottom of a line of hills, stood another city.

It was much larger than the first one, and he immediately noticed some rather obvious differences. The first thing he saw, the thing that stood out immediately, was that this one appeared to have roads. There was organization to this city, no like the other, that just appeared to have been put together willy nilly. But there were similarities as well. It was well lit, and he could see that the buildings were the same design as the one's in the other city, with the same odd shapes and gaping holes in the sides. But then he noticed a group of building, right in the center of the city, that didn't comform. They were larger than the others, and were built more squarely, more like he was used to seeing, and although they were far away, he could not make out any holes in the sides.

The caravan rode into the city, heading straight for the out of place buildings, which he now saw had doors and windows, real windows. There were many chadara in the streets, and Cloud could see that these were clothed in often brightly colored garmets. They filled the streets around them, going about their business, stepping out of the way of the caravan as it passed but otherwise not paying it much attention at all. The entire place gave the impression of a bustling and active city.

Finally they came to a halt in a large square. There was a lot of yelling and shouting as they chadara halted the beasts, which now seemed as reluctatnt to stop as they had to proceed not long ago. The chadara behind Cloud slipped to the ground, and Cloud followed. Immediately a group of chadara surrounded him, and he was ushered quickly into the nearest building.

The building itself reminded him of a castle. The walls were of stone, though finely cut. Inside there was a long hallway, the ceiling high above their heads. This was no chadara building. It was obviously meant to house others, and to Cloud others could only be Jenova.

His friends were brought into the building as well, and for the first time since their capture reunited. He saw only chadara as they were led down the hall. Of the Jenova creature that had brought them here there was no sign. Nor did Cloud see any others. But he sensed they were nearby.

They turned left and walked down another hall, then stopped in front of a room closed off by a heavy wooden door. The door was opened and they entered a sparsely furnished room, with two cots and a small table. As soon as they entered the door was closed behind them.

"Is everyone all right?" Cloud asked.

Reno was trying unsuccessfully to brush the dirt off his suit.

"Yeah, fine," he said gruffly. "But my nose will never be the same. Those creatures smelled disgusting."

"They probably thought the same about you," Elena shot back.

Reno just glared at her.

"So what are we going to do now?" Aeris asked.

"Not much we can do," Reno replied. "Looks like our brave leader has led us straight to into a trap."

"You know it wasn't Cloud's fault," Tifa snapped.

Reno did not pursue the subject.

Nor did Cloud. Even he realized this was no time to get distracted by Reno.

"At least they didn't kill us outright," he said. "They've never seen humans before, they don't know what we are, what they're dealing with. That gives us an edge, not much, but something."

Reno snorted, obviously not impressed.

"What do you think they're going to do with us?" Elena asked, sounding just a bit nervous.

"I don't know," Cloud replied. There wasn't really much they could do. They had no allies, their friends didn't know they were here, and the chadara now appeared to be in league with Jenova. They couldn't accomplish their mission with the entire planet aligned against them. Even if they escaped, they were far from their ship, with no way back, in a city full of enemies. Things looked pretty bleak.

"We'll just have to bide our time and hope for some kind of break," he said. "If one of us manages to escape, try to get back to the others. I know, it sounds impossible, but I don't see what else we can do. I don't know whether we can get out of here on our own, and it's not likely we're going to get any help from anyone here."

"I don't know," Aeris stated. "The chadara are helping Jenova, but that may because they are being forced to. Or even if most are willing, there may still be some who might be sympathetic to our cause."

"Even if that's so," Reno said. "How would we find them? And how would we plead our case when we don't speak their language?"

"I don't know," Aeris replied. "But I don't think you should dismiss the chadara out of hand."

"Well, whether there are any out there who might help us or not, it won't do us much good while we're cooped up in this room," Tifa observed. "Nothing is going to happen unless at least one of us get's out of here."

"True," Cloud muttered.

He walked over to the door and inspected it. It was solidly bolted, and much too heavy to break down. He saw Reno walking about the room inspecting the walls. Reno looked toward him and shook his head when he had finished.

"Well," Cloud said with a sigh. "I guess all we can do now is wait."

Waiting was something that Cloud did not tolerate very well. He soon found himself pacing back and forth in front of the door. Reno had plopped down against the far wall, looking thoroughly unhappy. Tifa and Aeris sat down next to one another on one of the cots. Elena remained standing, leaning against the wall, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Cloud wasn't sure how long he paced. There was no window in the room, no way to distinguish the passage of time. It seemed like hours before there was a scraping sound and the door opened again.

Three chadara stepped in, all wearing the silver armor and carrying the peculair rods Cloud had seen earlier. They stood there looking at the captives for a moment, then one pointed at Tifa.

"Shogo!" it said.

The others walked over to her and grabbed her arms. Tifa looked surprised, and a little frightened.

"What are you doing with her?" Cloud demanded, stepping in front of them.

The one that had spoken stepped over to him and attempted to push him aside, but he stepped out of the way and shoved back. The chadara stumbled away, barely keeping it's balance. It steadied itself, then turned toward him and lifted it's rod.

There was a flash of blue light. Cloud grunted and fell to the floor.

"Cloud!" Tifa exclaimed.

She tried to pull free, but the two holding her had her arms. She struggled for a moment, until the one with the rod pointed it at her.

Aeris had stooped down beside Cloud. She looked up at Tifa.

"He's alright," she said. Even as she spoke Tifa could see Cloud moving feebly. "Just stunned."

The chadara who had used the weapon spoke again, and they dragged Tifa out of the room. She saw the door slam behind her as they pulled her down the hall, and she felt a coldness in the pit of her stomach. Why had they seperated them, why had they chosen her? And what were they going to do with her?

They walked down a flight of steps, deeper into the building. Tifa no longer resisted, there didn't seem much point to it at the moment. She was scared, but she didn't let it show. She found it best to just not think about what might happen to her, about what Jenova could do. Perhaps they just wanted to look her over, perhaps they were just curious. She clung to that thought, and tried to ignore the doubts knawing at the back of her mind.

Finally they reached a room at the end of a long hallway. The chadara opened the door and led her in. She looked around found that her throat was suddenly dry. The room looked like some kind of laboratory. It was filled with machinery and tables covered with odd instruments. Near the back was a row of cages that contained small oddly shaped animals.

Near the center of the room stood a chair, with many types of what she considered very evil looking devices hanging beside it and attached to it. As they led her toward it she found herself resisting without even thinking about it. It certainly didn't look like they were just curious about her. She felt panic begin to rise up insider her.

"No!" she yelled, and jerked one arm back. The chadara was holding her tightly but had not expected the vehemence of her resistance, and she managed to pull her arm free.

She twisted round, pivoting on the arm still held by the other chadara, and struck that one in the back of the head with her elbow. It cried out and let go. Finding herself suddenly free, she turned toward the door, but didn't even get to take a step before there was a flash of blue light.

She collasped to the floor, every muscle in her body seeming to go numb. She tried to get up, but none of her limbs would obey her. She felt herself being picked up roughly and carried toward the chair. She tried to struggle, but her body refused to obey, only making feeble random movements. As they placed her in the chair she tried to cry out her rage, but even her voice was not working right, and all that came out was a choking sound.

There were restraints on the chair, and they were placed on her arms and legs, thick leather straps that were pulled tightly around her wrists and ankles. Her head was pulled back, and another strap was placed around her neck. She couldn't let this happen, she had to do soemthing. Her worst nightmares about this seemed to be coming true. She felt them attaching something to her forhead, some kind of electodes. She tried to pull her head away, but it was useless, she was still too weak, and even if she hadn't been, the strap would have held her in place. Inwardly she was screaming with rage. They were going to perform some horrible experiment on her, she was sure of that now, and she was helpless to fight it.

Satisfied with their work, the chadara retreated. Slowly they filed out of the room, until she was alone. She looked around desperately, looking for something she could use, something she could do to get her out of this. Slowly she could feel her strength returning. Even now she found she could move her hands and feet with some semblance of control. But the straps that held her wrists and ankles were pulled so tightly that she could not budge them. There was no way she was going to escape on her own.

She had faced a lot in her life, been in many dangerous situations. She had been scared before, in the battles with Shinra and Sephiroth. But in all those times she had been able to fight back, had been able to do something about it. The mere fact that one could take action, that one had a choice, reduced the fear. But now she had no options. She was completely helpless. She hadn't felt like this since she had been captured by Kendal on the southern continent. No, this was even worse. No matter how twisted Kendal had been, he had still been human. Though his mind was warped she had still understood it. But Jenova was compeltely alien. She couldn't comprehend what it might do to her. She had seen some of the twisted creatures Jenova had made from humans, seen the monsters that had been created. She didn't want that to happen. She didn't want to be turned into something twisted, some mindless horror. She would rather die.

But there was nothing she could do. There was no way out. She found her breath coming in short gasps, and suddenly she realized that she was more scared than she had ever been in her entire life.

"I've got to calm down, I've got to calm down," she found herself whispering, repeating over and over. Panic wasn't going to help the situation. There may not be anything she could do now, but in the unlikely event that something happened and she was given the opportunity to get out of this somehow, it wouldn't help if she was frozen with fear.

She deliberately tried to relax, forcing herself to breath slowly and regularly. As long as she had her wits about her, there was still a chance.

A movement caught her eye. She looked up to see that there was some sort of balcony above her. Another room that looked down on this one from above. The room was dark, but she could make out a figure moving up there. It was not a chadara.

Even in the dim light she could see the figure sit down. Although she couldn't make out the details, the chair the figure was sitting in appeared similar to hers. She could see the dim shapes of some type of devices around that one too.

Suddenly she was startled as the machinery around her, which had been silent to this point, suddenly hummed to life. Lights flickered. For a moment she looked around, then turned back toward the figure above. She was certain it was one of the Jenova, and she was also certain that whatever was going to happen to her, it would be responsible.

Lights flashed in the room above her as well, and she saw that the chair above her was in fact quite similar to the one she was in. She could see the Jenova's outline clearly now, but she could not tell whether it was the same Jenova that had captured them. She could see, however, that the creature seemed to have electrodes identical to her's attached to it's head as well.

The sound of the machines increased, and with it she felt panic rising up inside her again.

She felt a tingling sensation in her head. Not painful, but not at all pleasent. She looked up at the creature above her wildly.

"What are you doing to me?" she cried out.

There was no answer, but the sounds around her continued to grow. The unpleasent tingling sensation increased. She tried to shake her head, but the strap around her neck did not allow much movement. She found herself straining at the straps on her limbs, even though she knew it was uselses.

Suddenly she felt as if something exploded inside her head, and she screamed as wave after wave of pain shot through her.

But it was more than pain. There was something there. Some alien force, something that didn't belong. She could feel it, crawling around inside her head like a living thing, touching things that weren't meant to be touched, seeing things that weren't meant to be seen. In all her life she had never felt anything like it, nor ever imagined anything that could feel so horrible. The creature was inside her head. It could see her thoughts, everything she had ever know was laid bare before it. There was no hiding, no concealing anything, not one little detail about her, about her life. It was like she was naked before it, but worse than that, much worse. For it was not her physical body that was exposed, but her soul.

She screamed inwardly, trying to force it out, to get it away from her, but it's grip on her mind was numbing. It's force was relentless, and nothing she could do could stop it, nothing she could do seemed to have even the slightest effect on it. It moved through he mind at will, leaving nothing hidden. Methodically, without thought, without any concern at all for her, for what she was, it stripped away her thoughts.

Fighting uselessly against it, she felt her strength begin to fail. And even as it did she felt it's grip becoming tighter, squeezing her own mind, wrapping around it and breaking it down. No longer was it just observing anymore, but trying to impose it's own will. Now that it had laid bare her essense, it seemed intent on destroying it.

She tried to fight back, but she had no weapons in this battle. Her fists were uselss here, hangling limply by her sides. This was a war fought on Jenova's turf, and she didn't know the rules, nor have any knowledge of the weapons involved. She desperately tried to pull her mind away, to see an object in her mind, to concentrate on it, to shut out all else, but it was useless. The other mind in her head was too strong. Each time she tried to block it out, it broke through, and each time a little more ground was given up. She sought desperately for something she could do, something she could use to fight this, and abruptly she remembered her headaches, and the voice.

The voice...the voice that had given her the instructions to perform the mental steps to block out the pain. How long ago had that been? She couldn't even remember. Anything that had happened before they arrived on this planet seemed like ancient history now. She hadn't had any headaches since then, she hadn't had to use it. Could she still remember what she had done?

She tried to think, forcing herself to hurry. She could feel the presense growing inside her. The horrible, disgusting feeling of having it inside her, of being one with it. How could she think under that kind of assault? How could she concentrate, when even now it was plundering her concsciouness, examining in front of her all the parts of her mind that were never meant to see the light of day. To remember something from that long ago, something she had nearly forgotten, it was impossible!

Abruptly she realized that she was becoming hysterical. She had to remain calm, just like she had told herself. Panic wouldn't do any good now, and this might be her only hope. She had to calm down and think!

She tried as best she could once again to ignore the presense inside her. In spite of how she felt, in spite of how it was making her skin crawl, she had to try to calm herself. She thought back to the day she had heard the voice, trying to remember every detail. One step at a time, that was how she had to do it, calmly, rationally, in spite of what she felt, in spite of the urgency.

It was difficult. At first she could only remember the first one or two steps, the rest of it slipping away, seemingly lost. But she kept at it. She knew she had no choice. And eventually more steps came to her. Slowly, slowly she followed them, running through them again and again, each step she remembered bringing hints of the next. It hadn't been that difficult. She had gone over it until it had become familar. It all had to be there, still in her memory. All she had to do was concentrate.

And abruptly it fell together. The last step fell into place, and instantly Jenova detected it. The assult on her mind suddenly doubled, tripled. It was tearing at her, not trying to overpower her anymore, not trying to control her, but trying to destroy, trying to tear her apart.

A moment before the attack would have been devestating, and instantly fatal. But she held on, clinging to a part of herself that could no longer be invaded, holding onto it like a stauch tree standing against the floodwaters.

But still the attack increased. Like pincers into her mind it stuck now, and the pain was nearly unbearable. She felt as if she were surrounded by white hot fire, the forces inside her feeling like they could not be contained, that they would tear her apart. How long could she stand this, how long could she go on? Jenova was trying to crush her now, and even with her shield, could she stand against it's full might?

Her mind screaming in agony, she held on. She didn't know how long it lasted. Time seemed to have stopped altogether, and she thought this must be hell, and she was trapped here forever, doomed to suffer this torment though all eternity.

And then abruptly, it stopped.

For a moment she didn't realize it. She remained motionless, her muscles clenched, her knuckles white, her whole body taunt. And then relief, relief like she had never felt before flooded through her. She opened her eyes to find that she was soaked in sweat. She felt completely spent, yet even in her exhaustion she felt a strange euphoria. In spite of the odds, in spite of all Jenova's strength, she had won. She had beaten it off, had kept that which made her everything she was. No victory had ever felt as sweet.

She did not protest when the chadara reentered the room to take her away.

* * *

Tierlok entered the room and looked around, at first thinking it was empty, But then saw Dujin was sitting in the control chair overlooking the laboratory below. The light in the room was dim, but as he came up beside the Prime, he could sense something was amiss.

"The procedure did not go as planned?" he questioned hesitantly. If something had gone wrong Dujin might be in a bad mood, and if that were true, there was no telling who he might take it out on.

For a moment Dujin did not reply.

"Not exactly," he said slowly, the words measured, but not particularly angry.

Tierlok waited for enlightenment.

Dujin turned to face him fully.

"The creature was not as weak as it looked. I could not control it. It had some kind of resistance..."

Dujin fell silent. Tierlok still did not speak, but he realized this did not bode well.

"This is very strange," Dujin muttered.

It was an invitation to speak.

"Should we try again with another one?" Tierlok suggested.

Dujin mulled this over for a few moments.

"No," he said finally. "Whatever these creatures are, they may all have this resistance. But it doesn't matter. I could not control the creature, but it could not prevent me from seeing inside it. I know all we need to know. I know their purpose. These creatures are exceeding dangerous. In fact, they pose the greatest threat to us since the war with the Destroyers."

Tierlok looked at Dujin nervously.

"Shall I have them put to death then?" he questioned.

"No!" Dujin said firmly. "There is more to it than that. They pose a great threat, but they also bring us a great opportunity. An opportunity that has not occured here in two thousand years. No, they must not be harmed. I know what to do."

He stood up.

"But there are others. Back where we found these. Up in the hills, in some kind of ship. You must go back there at once and apprehend them. They must not be allowed to move about on their own. That could ruin everything. Take the best chadara you have, and bring them back to me and you will be richly rewarded. I command it!"

"Yes, Prime," Tierlok said, backing away. He had no choice, it was the only response possible. He quickly walked out the door, not all that pleased, but knowing there was no arguing. The last thing he wanted to do was go back to the outer regions, back to that mangy hellhole of a city. He had thought that bringing back the Destroyer would be enough, that it would insure his prominence, but now the Prime had more demands of him, when all he really wanted to do was relax at his home and bath in his new found fame.

But he quickly stifled his grumbling. The Prime himself had told him he would be richly rewarded, and was obviously pleased with what he had done. Just one more trip, one little short period of suffering, and then it would all be over. Then he could come back to the city and reap the benifits he so richly deserved.

* * *

The sound was pleasent. He wasn't sure how long he had been aware of it. It seemed to him that he had been listening to it for a long time. At first it had seemed far away, just a vague undercurrent running in the background of his mind, but slowly, as he had regained his senses, it had become clearer. And the more he heard the more closely he listened. It was not just a sound, it was a voice. Yes, it was the voice of someone singing, softly, as if to themself. But it was not a voice like any he had ever known. There was some other quality to it. Although he could not understand any of the words, he somehow knew that it was more than just a song. There was something incredibly soothing about it. It seemed to almost almost have some kind of healing power. Like a drink of water given to a man dying of thirst, the song seemed to suffuse him, to fill him with rujuvinating energy. There was something intoxicating about it, and beautiful.

Zack opened his eyes. He found himself staring up at the cavern ceiling, dimly lit by an orange light. His recollection of the events after he had been bit were still groggy, and he barely remmebered Reeve helping him into cave, yet even so he was pretty sure this was not the same cavern.

He turned his head and saw the source of the singing. Her back was toward him. She was sitting on the floor only a few paces away, in front of the fire, or whatever it was that was giving off the light. It was not a fire, surely, for it was steady and not flickering, but her body blocked his view of it.

At first he thought she was a chadara. Yet though her back was to him he could tell immediately that she was stikingly dissimilar to any chadara he had seen so far. Though her skin was dark, it was not as grey as that of the others. She had long silver hair, falling to the midway point on her back, neatly lying between her folded wings, braided at the end.

For a long time he did not move, just lay there, captivated by the sound of her voice. But slowly reality started to seep back into his mind. He still didn't remember much. He had been ill, Bitten by that creature. They had tired to get to the city, but he hadn't been able to make it. Reeve had been with him. What had happened? Where was Reeve now? He vaguely remembered Reeve dragging him into a cave somewhere. To what purpose?

He sat up. He had felt fine, completely recovered from whatever had happened to him. But as soon as he got up he felt a wave of dizziness and nausea. He put out his hand to steady himself and groaned.

Immediately the singing stopped. The woman turned toward him, then got up and swiftly came over to him. She was wearing a garment of some kind of semi tranparent material that shimmered and flickered in the light. It was like nothing he had seen before. He looked up at her as she reached his bed, and saw her blue eyes, bigger than any he had ever seen. She seemed to have an expression of concern on her face.

"Shadu, mei sento lagorati"

Her words meant nothing to him. He looked at her, puzzled. But then she reached out her hand and slowly but firmly forced him to lie down.

"Shadu," she repeated. She reached down and ran her hand lightly over his arm, the one that had been bitten, and even her touch upon it seemed to somehow relax him. She looked back at him again and smiled reassuringly.

"I guess you want me to rest, eh?" Zack said.

She looked at him, the smile still on her face.

"My name is Zack."

She did not respond.

He pointed to himself.

"Zack," he said slowly.

She stood there motionless. He had no idea what she was thinking.

He pressed his finger against his chest.

"Zack," he said once again. Then he pointed at her.

He looked at her, trying to prompt her with his expression, but for all he knew, his expression was meaningless to her.

She cocked her head to one side, looking contemplative.

"Roshnialu," she said finally.

Zack wasn't sure how to respond. Roshnialu. That could be her name, or it could be her way of saying 'shut the hell up'.

He lay back, resting once more on what he now realized was some type of thick yet very comfortable padding. She stood over him for a moment more, then, apparently satisfied that he would make no more attempts to rise, she stepped away from him, back toward the light, which Zack could see now was some kind of glowling log. It almost seemed to be some kind of fire, for the log seemed as if it were being consumed, but the light it gave off was steady.

"Rosnialu," he called out.

She turned and looked at him, a look of surprise showing on her face, but instantly turning into a broad smile.

It seemed probable that whatever Roshnialu meant, it wasn't shut the hell up.

She stepped back over to stand beside him. She looked at him for a moment.

"Zack," she said.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, startling her into taking a step back.

"Teirmon falchara et donchese," she said, and laughed, the sound of her voice like a clear bell tinkling.

"You can say that again, whatever the hell it meant," he said.

She looked at him a moment more, almost a look of admonishment in her eyes, almost as if she could understand what he was saying. Then she turned away again.

Zack watched her walk past the fire log to the other side of the cavern. He could see now that the walls were smooth, and the floor was much too level to be natural. This room had been carved out of the rock, built by human, or not so human, hand. There was a basin carved out of the far wall, with clear water running in it. Roshnialu picked up a hollowed out gourd and filled it with the clear fluid, then came back over to him, holding it out.

He started to lift himself up, but then thought better of it. He took the drink and slowly tipped it up, lifting just his head so he could sip the fluid. Immediately he realized it was not just water. It had a slight sweet taste to it, something he had never tasted before, and it was delicious.

He quickly drank down the rest, only spilling a bit on his chest.

"Thank you," he said when he was done.

She glanced at him for a moment, then went and sat back down by the fire. He lay there in silence for a while, hoping she would start singing again, but she remained silent. He wondered how long he was going to be holed up here. It was obvious that Roshnialu had probably saved his life, but he had no idea how long the recovery process would take. He still wasn't exactly sure what had happened, and it was bothering him a little. What had happened to the others? What had hapepend to Reeve? They had been together, but he obviously wasn't around now. Zack seemed to remember him saying something...apologizing? Why would he do that?

They had been heading for the city. There would have been no turning back. Reeve could not possibly have brought him all the way back to the ship. Reeve must have gone on without him, or back without him.

_Did he leave me to die?_

No, he probably went to get help. They had been in the middle of nowhere. Reeve couldn't have carried him far. He would have been able to go much faster on his own. That would have been the logical thing to do.

_Logical, yes. That was probably exactly what Reeve was telling the others now. How it was the logical thing to do, how he really had no choice at all. They were rivals, standing in each other's way. No matter how they treated each other there was no getting around that, or that fact that neither one of them would be all that upset to see something happen to the other. And here Zack had given Reeve the perfect opportunity. Through his own stupidity he had gotten himself in deadly trouble, with only his rival to help him. Reeve wouldn't have to lift a finger, just head back to the ship. He could take his time. No one would know. If he even remembered where he left Zack he could return using a round about route. No one would question it, no one would be the wiser._

Zack shook his head to clear it, abruptly realizing he was thinking too much like the Swordsman. They were rivals, yes, but that didn't mean they wanted to see each other dead. Even when Zack had been less than friendly Reeve had never seemed to bear him any malice. These were a different sort of people than he was used to dealing with, he had to keep reminding himself.

Just then Roshnialu stood up, looking to the left, toward a narrow tunnel. Zack followed her gaze and saw a figure emerge from it.

This one was definitely a chadara. He walked over to Roshnialu without giving Zack a glance and started talking rapidly. Of course, Zack had no idea what they were saying, but it didn't take a genius to figure it had something to do with him, not when they both kept glancing over to him and the chadara pointed at him twice.

The raising of their voices also made it clear that the conversation was turning into an argument. The expressions on their faces was quite similar to humans, very unhappy humans, in fact. Zack slowly lifted himself up experimentaly. The nausea he felt the last time he tried to sit up did not return. It seemed he was getting better. He had a feeling the drink she had given him had played a part in that.

"Leave her alone!" he exclaimed.

The two looked over at him, startled. Roshnialu blurted something out, then pushed past the chadara to hurry over to him.

She said something and looked at him for a moment. Then she turned to the chadara once more and barked out a statement.

The chadara yelled back at her, taking a step toward her. She stood her ground, and suddenly it seemed as if the two might come to blows. Zack looked around, seeing if his sword were somewhere nearby, but there was no sign of it.

For a moment the two antagonists stood facing one another, then the chadara muttered something and quickly turned and stalked away.

Roshnialu stood motionless until he had disappeared from sight. Then she turned toward Zack and starting talking rapidly.

Zack just shook his head.

"Slow down, honey, you're going way too fast for me."

Abruptly she took his hand. He looked up at her, into her enourmous blue eyes. He could see compassion there, and something else. Something more urgent. She was desperately trying to convey something to him.

"What is it?" he questioned. "What did he tell you?"

She continued talking, not that it did much good. But the tug on his arm became more insistent. It seemed she wanted him to get up.

He let her pull him to his feet, and stood for a moment a bit unsteadily. He felt a twinge of dizziness. She seemed to sense this, for she suddenly let go and walked over to the basin. She came back with the gourd and he took another drink.

"Hmm, good stuff," he commented.

She started talking again, grabbing hold of his arm once more. He did not resist as she led him swiftly toward the tunnel the chadara had disappeard down.

The floor was smooth and they walked steadily uphill for about twenty meters. The tunnel twisted quite a bit, but finally they came around one turn and he saw daylight ahead.

He followed her out of the tunnel, and even though the sun had already dropped below the horizen, and twilight was upon them, he still had to pause for a moment to let his eyes adjust to the light.

When he looked up he saw they were not far from the mountains. They loomed up just to the south of them. He looked around and spotted the city off in the distance to the west.

Roshinalu pointed up to the mountains.

"Germasi dec du remas," she said.

Zack just looked at her blankly.

"du remas!" she repeated, pointing up at the mountains.

Zack looked up. The mountains rose up steeply here, but he could see nothing unusual.

"I don't understand," he said.

She stamped her foot. There was no mistaking that one.

She grabbed hold of his hand and starting walking, straight at the moutains. Then she stopped and ushered him to go forward, then pointed ahead once more.

"Germasi dec du remas!"

Zack stood there, feeling almost as frustrated as she must. She was obviously trying to tell him something, something urgent. She seemed to want him to lead. But where could he lead her except...back to the ship?

"You want me lead you back where I came from?" he asked pointlessly.

She just looked at him.

If she wanted him to lead, it had to be someplace that he knew of that she didn't. What else could it be but back to the ship? But how could see know about the ship? Was that what they had been arguing about? And why would she want him to take her back there? Was he in some kind of danger, or was the ship in danger? Or was it something else entirely. He didn't know. There was no way to know. But whatever the reason, if she wanted to go, and so urgently, there had to be a very good reason. She had already saved his life once, and he felt somehow that he could trust her, even after only being with her for this short time. If she wanted to go to the ship, then the ship it was.

"C'mon," he said, taking her hand. "Let's get going!"


	20. Roshnialu's Story

CHAPTER XX

ROSHNIALU'S STORY

"Looks like this whole plan has been cursed from the start," Cid muttered.

Ellengio nodded. His group had just returned to the ship, and the others had gone to the galley to get some food and drink while Ellengio filled Cid in on what had befallen them.

"It would seem that way," he replied. "So far we've had plenty of problems, yet we are no closer to finding out where the field generator may be."

"So what happens now?" Cid asked. "Do we try to find Cloud and the others?"

Ellengio sat there in thought for a few moments, then shook his head slowly.

"We don't even know where they were taken," he replied. "Vincent sent Reeve after them. Unless by some miracle we hear from him, there's nothing we can do. I'm afraid they're on their own."

"Surely there's something we can do for them?" Cid questioned. "We can't just abandon them."

Ellengio looked at him for a moment.

"Believe me, if there was anything we could do, I wouldn't hesitate, even if it meant delaying the mission. But we don't know where they are. Before we can go trekking into that desert, we need some clues, some idea as to what's out there."

Cid looked unsatisfied. He knew what Ellengio was saying was true, but it didn't sit well with him. He felt too much like they were abandoning Cloud and the others to their fate.

"If you've got any ideas, I'm listening," Ellengio said, seeming to understand his misgivings.

Cid shook his head. The truth was sitting around in the ship was starting to get to him. He wasn't used to this waiting thing. He wanted to be in on the action. But he knew it was foolish to risk himself, not when he was the only one who could get them back.

"So what now then?"

"We return to the city," Ellengio replied. "It's the only thing we can do."

"We've already tried that, and it didn't work out too well," Cid reminded him.

"True, but with each contact we learn a little bit more. We didn't know what was out there at first, now we have a better idea. We've been moving in broad daylight, easy to observe, especially from the air. We'll have to be more cautious. The Chadara seem to be more active during the day, just like us. After nightfall they may be less active, and less wary."

Cid looked out the windows of the control room. The sun had already gone down outside, the last light of it still coloring the sky to the west.

"So you're planning on leaving again right away?" he asked.

"Yes," Ellengio said. "There's no reason to delay. Morale is low, we need for something positive to happen, and nothing good is going to happen while we sit around here."

"True," Cid replied. "But nothing bad is likely to either."

Ellengio did not reply, seeming lost in thought. He turned and headed for the galley, Cid right behind him. The others looked up as they entered. Without preamble Ellengio explained his plan.

"What exactly is going to be your objective?" Red asked.

"We need information about the shield generator," Ellengio replied. "The Chadara are intelligent, we know that from old records and from observation. We need to either find a way to communicate with them, of find someplace where they keep records of their own. A race that could build a city surely must have some store of knowledge, which must be kept somewhere."

"Like a library or something?" Yuffie said.

"Yes," Ellengio replied.

"But how would we find it?" Barret questioned. "You can't just go wandering around their city looking for it without expecting to be seen."

"I'm hoping we'll find some way to communicate with them," Ellengio stated. "I'm hoping there are some of them that are familar with the Cetra language. There's no reason to believe there may not still be some Cetra here. If so, it's not that much of a reach to beileve that some of the Chadara may know the language."

"Sounds plausible enough," Barret commented. "So we go back to the city?"

"Yes," Ellengio replied. "Immediately. I think we're better off getting there under cover of darkness."

"We gotta go out there again already?" Yuffie said, not at all happy.

"Not all of us, and not the same group," Ellengio replied. "I know you're all tired from the previous excursion. Perhaps it would be best to send a fresh team. Red and Nipala, would you mind coming with me this time?"

"Not at all," Red replied. "It would be good to get to stretch our legs. I have to admit it has been difficult cooped up in here for so long."

"Good," Ellengio said. "Cait, you don't get tired, so I'm sure you won't mind accompanying us once more. Besides, your communications skills could prove invaluable."

"Sure," Cait agreed.

Ellengio turned to Vincent.

"I know you are probably tired too, but I think it might be vital that you come with us, for previously mentioned reasons, if you feel up to it."

Vincent nodded but said nothing.

Ellengio looked around for a moment.

"That should do it," he said finally. "We don't need a large group. The fewer people we risk, the better."

"I'd like to go too," Lai Li spoke up.

Amanda was tempted to say the same thing, but she held her tongue.

"I don't think that would be wise," Ellengio said.

"Look, you're trying to communicate with these people, aren't you? Well, that's exactly what I'm good at! That's the reason I came along, remember? Maybe I can figure out their language."

"I already know the Cetra language," Ellengio replied. "We would be putting you at risk for nothing. I can't allow it."

Lai Li gave him a sour look, but refused to give up.

"But you don't know if any of them can still speak Cetra," Lai Li countered. "It's been two thousand years. For all we know, that language may have died out long ago. Perhaps I can translate the Chadara language."

"It hasn't died out!" Ellengio said with surprising vehemence. He paused for a moment, then said in a much calmer voice; "The Cetra are a very adaptable people. There's no doubt in my mind that they have survived this, even if their numbers are few. Jenova tired to wipe us out on earth and failed. I believe it is the same here. I believe they still inhabit this planet, somewhere. And if that is true, they must still have some dealing with the Chadara. And if that is so, then there must be some Chadara, somewhere, that can speak their language."

"That may be true," Lai Li reponded, the doubt obvious in her voice. "But we have found no evidence of them. You have to admit it is possible that the Cetra..."

"No!" Ellengio cut her off abruptly. "I'm not going to argue about this any further. It's too dangerous. You're not coming, and that's final. Now we're wasting time. It's already getting dark outside so we better get going. Remember, night doesn't last very long here, and if we don't start soon it will be too late to get there before sunup. I don't want to have us delay any longer then necessay. So get your things and let's get going."

Then he turned and walked quickly out of the room.

There others just stood there looking at one another. Finally Red spoke up.

"Well, I guess we better get going."

"Yeah," Cait agreed.

The people Ellengio had chosen to go headed for the airlock, while Cid and the others went to the control room. A few minutes later Ellengio and his group were outside, heading down the mountain in the fading darkness.

Lai Li was standing beside Cid in the control room.

"That was interesting," she said.

"That's putting it mildly," Amanda stated. "It was so totally unfair."

"Possibly," Cid said slowly. He have never seen Ellengio act like that before. He had to admit that he himself found Lai Li's argument pretty convincing, and had been surprised that Ellengio had dismissed it out of hand like that.

"He didn't seem at all pleased with the possibility that the Cetra might not have survived here," Rude said.

"Uh huh," Cid replied. "But maybe we're being too hard on him. Everyone wants to be with their own kind. Perhaps he just had his hopes so high that he would find more Cetra here that he can't accept the fact that they may not be."

"That doesn't give him the right to get angry at Lai Li for suggesting it," Amanda said.

"You're right," Cid replied. "It might not have been right, but it was human. Ellengio's a Cetra, but he had emotions too, has frailties just like the rest of us. He's not so different from us."

Amanda feel silent.

"I can forgive him his frailties," Lai Li said. "I can understand him getting angry with me. But my arguemnt was correct, I might be able to translate the Chadara language. By not taking me along he could be compromising the mission."

Cid sat there looking out the window, brooding over Lai Li's words. Again she was right. He could understand Ellengio getting angry, but he couldn't let that get in the way of his judgement. For all the time they had known the man, he had always acted with a cool head, had always been the voice of reason. To believe he would not do the same this time Cid would need a compelling reason.

"You were all there for the speech, you were all there when Ellengio explained just how important this was to us all, and to him. This may have seemd like a rash decision on his part, but he doesn't always tell us everything he has in mind. I don't believe he would do anything to compromise the mission, especially something as petty as that. Everything he's told us so far has turned out to be true. Everything he's done, has been for our benefit. He's the one who's gotten us this far, I'm not going to lose faith now, not unless I have something a lot better to go on. Ellengio knows what he's doing. You may not like it, but the bottom line is, I trust him."

The others fell silent. He looked at Lai Li. She returned his gaze evenly, then nodded.

"All right then," Cid said. He looked out the window again, but the others were long gone. He stretched out his legs and plopped his feet down on the control panel.

"I guess there's nothing we can do now but wait. Some more."

Amanda sighed, making her displeasure painfully obviuos. She sat down on the control panel and stared out the window into the darkness. Yuffie came up beside her and said something to her, but Amanda didn't seem to be paying any attention. Finally Yuffie shrugged and walked away.

Lai Li reached her arms over her head and yawned. She could sympathize with Amanda. She was getting sick of being left behind. Here they had come to a new planet, a whole new world to explore, and she hadn't even taken one step outside. It was like holding food in front of a starving man, in plain sight but just out of reach. It was torture.

But dwelling on it wasn't going to do any good. She wasn't going to be like Amanda and spend the whole time brooding. She was going to make the best of it. Eventually she knew she'd get her chance.

She walked over to tbe chessboard and looked at Rude.

"Care for another match?"

Rude shrugged, then nodded and walked over to join her. They had barely started their opening moves however, when Amanda spoke up.

"They're coming back," she stated.

The others looked out the window immediately. They could see someone coming toward the ship in the darkness.

"I only see two of them," Cid said, a hint of concern in his voice. What had happened now?

As they approached their outlines became clearer. Immediately they noticed that one of the figures was not human.

"What the hell," Cid muttered, grabbing his weapon.

"It's Zack," Amanda said. "And the other one must be one of those creatures."

Cid just stared out the window, able to see for himself now. He turned to look at Barret and Yuffie.

"It's similar, but this one's different," Yuffie said. "It looks like a female."

Cid looked back outside. Whatever this thing was, it didn't appear to be a threat. They were walking toward the ship side by side, giving no indication that there was any danger.

"All right," he said. "I'm opening the airlock."

He flipped a switch, then got up, Venus Gospel in hand, and headed for the airlock, the others right behind him.

Zack looked around and saw himself surrounded by the others when he stepped into the ship, their weapons ready.

"Are you all right?" Yuffie questioned.

"I'm fine," he replied. He turned to look behind him. His compainion still stood in the airlock, reluctant to enter the room. Zack reached out and took her hand, then drew her out. She stepped into the room, looking around timidly, a look of awe on her face as she looked at the ship around them.

"This is Roshnialu," he said.

"Charmed," Barret said, keeping his weapon leveled on them. "Vincent told us that Reeve told him something had happened to you. You had been bitten, and perhaps poisoned by something."

"I was," Zack replied. "But I'm all right now. Roshnialu cured me."

"And maybe brainwashed you?" Yuffie said suspiciously.

Zack looked at them and smiled.

"She's a friend."

"Gimoaha tu Cetarala?"

Roshnialu's head jerked around, her eyes widened as she stared at Lai Li. She stepped forward and started talking very rapidly.

Lai Li said something, and Roshnialu paused. Then she started again, speaking more slowly. Barret just stared at Lai Li.

"You understand that crap?"

Lai Li nodded, continueing her conversation with Roshnialu, who seemed to be going on and on about something.

"I thought you told us you didn't know the Chadara language," Barret said.

"It's not Chadara, I'm speaking Cetra," Lai Li replied.

"What's she saying?" Yuffie said impatiently.

"She says we have to get out of here," Lai Li replied. "The Mind Slayers know we are here. They're sending the Chadara to capture us."

"The Mind Slayers?" Cid questioned.

Lai Li spoke to Roshnialu again.

"Yes," she said. "That is what the Chadara call Jenova. Some of the Chadara that are captured are taken over by Jenova, their minds erased, or slain, and from then on, they only do Jenova's will. But there's no time to talk about it now. We have to leave."

"Leave? Just take off, just like that?" Barret said doubtfully.

"We can't leave the ship," Cid said.

Lai Li spoke again in the Cetra tongue. Roshnialu replied, her voice becoming urgent.

"She says there's no time to argue about it. They will be here in minutes."

"How do we know we can believe her?" Yuffie questioned.

"She wouldn't lie to you," Zack defended her.

"How would you know that?" Yuffie retorted. "You've know her what, a day?"

"She saved my life," he replied. "If she was an enemy, she wouldn't have done that."

"Unless she wanted you to lead her back to the rest of us," Yuffie said.

Zack just looked at them. He had no agrument.

"I trust her," he said.

"That's reassuring," Yuffie muttered.

"Why don't we just hole up in the ship?" Barret suggested. "They woun't be able to get us if we don't let them in."

He looked at Lai Li, who relayed the idea to Roshnialu.

"She says it won't work," Lai Li said. "If they know you are in here, they'll destroy the ship if they have to to get at you. And it may take them a while, but they would eventually get in."

"So you want us to just leave the ship open for them to get into?" Barret exclaimed. "How do we know they won't destroy it anyway?"

Lai Li passed on Barret's concern to Roshinalu.

"They won't destroy it if it's empty," she said. "It would be much too valuable. The Jenova will want to study it. They will not harm it."

Roshnialu spoke again.

"She says we have to go now," Lai Li said.

Cid looked at the others. He could see that Barret and Yuffie were openly doubtful, while Zack at least obviously trusted her. The others all looked unsure, an expression he was sure he wore himself. Slowly he realized they were all looking at him, waiting for him to make a decision. He was the captain of the ship, and neither Ellengio nor Cloud were around to offer advice or to pass the buck to. It was going to have to be his decision.

He looked at Roshnialu again. He wanted to trust her, felt in his gut that he could, but he wanted more than that. This was too important. To leave the ship, their only back from this world, at the mercy of their enemy was the last thing in the world he wanted to do. He would need compelling evidence to do so.

And she had not provided it. On the other hand, if what she was saying was true, then they were going to lose the ship anyway, and be captured themselves to boot.

C'mon Cid, it's time to make one of those monumental decisions, he thought. This is what you're getting paid the big bucks for.

What it really came down to, in the end, was simple. Did he trust this stranger, or not?

"Turin!" Roshnialu exclaimed.

"Now," Lai Li translated.

Cid still hesitated. Hadn't Ellengio said they needed an ally?

"All right, let's go," he said. "Everyone, get your gear together. Quick!"

The others scrambled to obey. Cid had to admit they had a good crew. Even the one's who had expressed doubts did not hesitate once he gave the word. He just hoped his decision would live up to their trust.

Roshnialu seemed to be shaking with impatience.

"Hurry up!" Cid called out, even as he threw his own backpack over his shoulder. They all hurried back to the airlock in minutes, Yuffie last, carrying a large pouch that obviously contained her precious materia.

"Let's go," Cid said.

They left the ship, Roshnialu and Zack in the lead, with Cid and Lai Li right behind, and the others bringing up the rear. It was completely dark out now. Cid looked back at the ship as they hurried away, his mind filled with doubt. If this was a mistake, or some kind of trap, the others would never forgive him. They had been suffering from nothing but bad luck since they had arrived here. Was this a contiunation of it, or was it finally starting to change?

"Where are we going?" Cid asked as Roshnialu led them down the slope, away from the trail used eailer to reach the path to the town.

Lai Li asked Roshinialu.

They did not slow down as Roshnialu answered.

"These mountains are riddled with caves," Lai Li said to Cid. "She knows them better than anyone. She taking us to one that we can hide in, one where they won't find us."

Cid did not reply. They were comitted now, in Roshnialu's hands. Whether it was a trap or not, there was no going back.

"Kind of ironic, isn't it?" Lai Li said suddenly.

"What?" Cid questioned.

"Ellengio said we needed to find an ally, someone who knew the Cetra language. A half hour after he leaves to go find someone, Roshnialu shows up on our doorstep."

Cid nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," he said. "And I'll bet you're glad now you stayed behind."

Cid kept scanning the skies as they proceeded, kind of hoping he might see some Chadara in the air, confirming Roshnialu's story, but not so close that they get spotted themselves. But he saw no sign of any pursuit in the darkness behind them.

Roshnialu led them down a steep slope. She went down quickly, almost effortlessly, but the others struggled to follow. In the darkness it was diffiuclt to find footing, and the trail was narrow. Only a foot or two wide, with a sheer drop beyond, Cid had to force himself to move even as fast as a slow walk, and some of the others were going even slower. Roshnialu stopped and impatiently waved for them to hurry.

"We're going as fast as we can," Cid said. "We're not moutain goats, you know."

Lai Li passed the message along. Roshnialu did not reply, but when she started down the slope again, she moved more slowly.

But soon the trial became narrower still, and Cid found himself hugging the rock wall beside him as he progressed. He felt a tightening in his stomach as he looked out at the void in front of them, just a step away. Far down on the plain he could see a few twinking lights from the city below, but otherwise, the plain was dark.

As Cid looked ahead he saw Roshnialu stoop down, then disappear into the darkness. Zack followed a moment later, and now only Lai Li remained in front of him. He continued edging his way forward until he stood beside her.

The trail came to and end in a bulging outcropping of rock. Lai Li stood at the edge, looking down. Cid came up beside her, feeling a great reluctance to stand so close to the precipice. Looking down he saw Roshnialu and Zack climging down the cliff face below.

"Oh great," he muttered.

He looked at Lai Li.

"Isn't there any other way?"

Lai Li did not reply, just stood there, staring down at those below.

"Lai Li?" Cid questioned.

She looked at him suddenly.

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

She called down to Roshnialu. When she was answered she shook her head.

"She says it's the only way," Lai Li stated. "It's not far. The cave mouth is just below us."

Cid looked down one more time, then decided he wasn't going to do that again.

"All right," he said. "I guess we better get it over with."

Lai Li sat at the edge, unmoving.

"I don't think I can do it," she said hesitantly.

Cid just looked at her, trying mightily to keep his eyes from wandering beyond her.

"Sure you can," he said reassuringly. He could understand her reluctance. He wasn't anxious to attempt this himself, but they didn't have much choice at this point.

Lai Li nodded slowly. She took a deep breath, then turned and swung her legs down to find purchase on a narrow ledge below, but then she stopped. She glanced downward fearfully.

"Don't look down!" Cid admonished.

Immediately her head jerked up. She stared at her hands, and the deathgrip they had on the rocks she was using as handholds. For a moment she remained there, frozen in place. Finally she shook her head.

"I...I can't do it," she said again.

The others had caught up with them and now stood close behind.

Below them they heard Zack call out.

"Hurry up!"

Cid stooped down beside Lai Li.

"You've got to do it," he said encouragingly. "There's no turning back now. Just keep your eyes on the rocks in front of you. Don't think about it."

He could tell she was trying very hard to be brave, but her knuckles were white, and for all her determination, they refused to let go their hold.

Suddenly Rude came up beside Cid.

"Hang on," he said softly to Lai Li.

He turned around and slowly lowered himself down beside her.

"Concentrate on me," he said. "Can you do that? Just look at me, nothing else."

He stared into her eyes. Her face was pale, but her eyes locked onto him. For a moment she just stared at him.

"Can you?" he asked.

She nodded slowly.

"Yes."

"Okay then," he replied. He slowly lowered himself down a step, then looked up to see her staring at him still.

"Okay, now just put your foot where I put mine. Ease yourself down. Go ahead, I'm right here. I won't let you fall."

Lai Li nodded. Again she hesitated, but then she lowered herself down, the entire time staring at Rude. A moment later she was a step lower.

"That's it," he said. "See, it's not so bad. I'm going to continue down. Just do everything I do, okay?"

She nodded, still looking right at him.

"Okay," she said, "but if you fall, I'm not going to do that too."

Rude smiled. In spite of her fears it was good to see she could make light of the situation.

"Fair enough," he said.

Cid stood watching them from above as Rude slowly coaxed Lai Li down the side of the cliff. She seeemd to be gaining some coinfidence now, and was moving slowly but steadily down, following Rude. Cid looked at the others.

"Let's keep it moving," he said.

None of the others looked too pleased to climb down the sheer cliff. Almost all of them hesitated at the edge, and he thought that Yuffie, Amanda and Altim might falter, but they all gritted their teeth and followed the others, and soon Cid found himself alone on the trail above them.

He paused for a moment, looking down at those below him. In spite of the encouragement he had given the others as they had started down, he had to admit he was just as reluctant as they were to actually start down himself.

"C'mon, you're supposed to be the leader here," he muttered to himself. It wouldn't look good to have one of them have to climb back up here to nursemaid him down. He turned around, gritted his teeth and lowered himself down, being careful to looked steadily at the rock face in front of him.

A few minutes later, though it seemed much longer than that, he found himself, with a huge sigh of relief, dropping down onto a narrow ledge that ran along the mountainside in a westerly direction. The others were already hurrying on along it. He followed quickly. Though the ledge was narrow, barely wide enough to walk comfortably, it felt wide and quite safe compared to the descent they had just made.

He saw a deeper darkness appear ahead of them on the trail, and the others vanished into it. As he approached he realized it was a cave entrance. He quickly slipped inside behind them.

Inside it was pitch dark, and he hadn't taken more than a few tentative steps when he ran into Amanda.

"Can't see a thing," came the deep voice of Barret.

"Lai Li?" Cid called out.

"Just a second," came the immediate response.

There was a scratching sound, and suddenly a blue light flared. Cid saw that they were in a narrow rough walled tunnel. Roshnialu stood in front of them, soemthing similar to a torch in her hand. The head of it glowed with a bluish light which did not flicker.

"Shondu," she said, turning and hurrying down the tunnel.

"This way," Lai Li said, pretty much unnecessarily.

They walked through the tunnels for a long time. The caves twisted and turned, with dozens of branches and turn offs. Soon Cid was hoplessly lost. He wondered how Roshialu could find her way, for each tunnel seemed pretty much the same, with no distinguishing features. But she walked unhesitantly forward, confindently making turns as if she knew exactly where she was going. Cid hoped for all their sakes that was true.

Eventually the tunnel opened up into a large cavern. The sound of running water caught their attention. Near the back of the cavern they saw a small stream gurgling out of the wall. It ran into a rough hewn basin, then overflowed and bubbled down across the cavern floor to disappear into another crevice. Roshnialu walked over to the basin and turned toward them. She spoke quickly.

"She says we can rest here," Lai Li interpreted. "The Chadara do not know of this place. It is deep in the mountain, farther than they go. We are safe here."

Most of them sat down, making themselves as comfortable as they could on the hard rock. Roshnialu removed something from a pouch. It looked like some kind of herb. She crushed it in ther hands and let it fall into the basin. She turned to look at them.

"Genthar."

"She says drink," Lai Li said.

Barret eyed the basin dubiously.

"I think I'll pass," he said.

"No, I think I know what it is," Zack said. He stepped up to the basin and drank deeply. The water had the same sweet taste. He could feel it's renewing power even before he had finished. He stood up and wiped his arm across his face.

"She gave it to me earilier," he said. "When I was recovering. It has some kind of healing power. Try it."

Barret still looked doubtful.

Lai Li stepped up to the basin. She looked at Zack, then took a drink herself. The others looked at her. She returned their gaze and nodded.

"It's quite good," she decided.

Convinced, the others drank too. While they were doing so, Zack turned to Lai Li.

"Roshnialu had an argument with a Chadara before we came to the ship," he said. "Ask her what it was about."

Lai Li looked at Roshnialu and they had a quick conversation.

"She says Kelmpeck wanted her to turn you over to the Mind Slayers."

Zack nodded slowly as Roshnialu went on.

"The Chadara are deathly afraid of the Mind Slayers," Lai Li said. "They know what Jenova can do, they know, after two thousand years of domination, that they cannot fight them, cannot stand against them. Some have rebelled before, but none have ever been successful, and those who have turned against Jenova had paid with their minds, or their lives. He was afraid. She doesn't blame him."

"She says the others were captured. She must be talking about Cloud and those with him. Jenova was informed. They have been taken to Daris. That's a large city to the north of here, where Jenova has their headquarters in this portion of the world. Kelmpeck, like most of the Chadara, would not dare to do anything openly against the Mind Slayers, but he and others keep an eye on them, try to find out things. He has many contacts. One of the Chadara he knows in Daris told him that at least one of your friends was taken to the induction chamber."

"The induction chamber?" Barret questioned.

"They Mind Slayers use some kind of device to reach into people minds. With it they can read their thoughts, and also take control of them. Once this is done, the persons mind is destroyed, and they are under the total control of Jenova."

"Destroyed?" Yuffie said nervously. "It can't be reversed?"

"It has never been known to happen," Lai Li translated.

They all paused for a moment to ponder this.

"Do they know who was in the chamber?" Rude quesitoned slowly.

Lai Li asked Roshnialu.

"No," Lai Li said at Roshnialu's response. "But almost immediately afterward the Chadara were ordered to escort one of the Mind Slayers back to the city, their mission to go up into the moutains and find your ship, and the rest of you. Kelmpeck had come to warn her, to tell her to turn over Zack before it was too late, before the Mind Slayers found out she had helped him."

Roshnialu fell silent.

"So she's risking her life to help us," Cid said. "Tell her we said thanks."

Lai Li and Roshnialu spoke some more.

"She says there's no need," Lai Li said. "But she is curious as to where we came from and what we are doing here. She's never seen anyone quite like us."

"You can say that again," Cid said, walking slowly up and looking at Roshnialu thoughtfully.

"Should I tell her what we're doing here?" Lai Li asked.

"Yes," Cid replied. It was too late not to trust her now.

"Wait," Zack said. "But first, I have a question. Who is she?"

"She told you. Her name is Roshnialu," Lai Li replied.

"No, I mean, who is she really. She looks like a Chadara, but she's different. She doens't act like the others, like the ones' we fought. Is this what all Chadara women look like?"

Lai Li relayed the question. Roshnialu spoke for some time, and they saw Lai Li's eyes widen in surprise.

"No," Lai Li said. "she does not look like Chadara women, she does not look like anyone else at all. Her father was a Chardara, but her mother was Cetra."

"She's half Cetra?" Yuffie said in surprise.

The others just stood there looking at Roshnialu in a new light.

"I knew it," Zack said slowly. "I could feel it."

Roshnialu spoke again.

"Her mother was a Cetra, her name was Mistihlia. She died in childbirth. She was raised by her father, Gregolias. At the time there were few Cetra left, and those that existed were still fighting a guerilla war against the Mind Slayers. A few of the Chadara had always fought alongside them, her father among them. When she was six the rebels were discovered. They were attacked by a group of loyal Chadara and Mind Slayers and wiped out. Roshnialu was the only one to escape. Her father and the others all fought to the death."

"I'm sorry," Cid said.

Lai Li passed it on.

"It's alright," Lai Li continued. "It was a long time ago. Since then Roshnialu had been hiding from the Mind Slayers, who, because of her Cetra blood, would be hunted down immediately if they knew she still lived. A few sympathetic Chadara took her in and raised her, keeping her hidden from Jenova."

"So does that mean that there are other Cetra here?" Cid asked suddenly.

The all waited while Lai Li spoke again to Roshnialu.

"She says she's the last one. At least, as far as she knows. She hasn't seen another Cetra since her father and the others were killed."

Cid rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It was a big planet, and even if she hadn't seen any, that didn't mean that some didn't exist somewhere. The fact that they were still here just a generation ago gave him hope that there still might be some alive.

"She wants to know who we are now," Lai Li said.

Cid nodded.

"Go ahead and tell her. Tell her everything."

It took a while. Roshnialu listened intently as Lai Li told her story. Occasionally the half Cetra would interrupt, but for the most part, she remained quiet. When Lai Li had finished, Roshnialu spoke again.

"She says she had hoped it was something like this. That we were here to fight the Mind Slayers. She has been waiting all her life for a chance to avenge her father, and release the Chadara from Jenova's yoke. She'll do anything in her power to help us."

"Good," Cid said. "Looks like we've found and ally. This is just what Ellengio wanted. Bout time we had a little bit of good luck. Ask her if she knows anything about the field generator."

Lai Li relayed the question.

"She says she doesn't," Lai Li said after Roshnialu replied. "But she does know something that may be of help to us. There was a secret Cetra base, known only to the rebels, that they had used on occasion. The Mind Slayers never found out about it. She doesn't remember very much about it. She hasn't been there in a long time, but she thinks she could find it again. There might be some clue there."

"That sounds great," Cid said. "How long will it take us to get there?"

Lai Li asked Roshnialu, who replied quickly.

"About four days on foot," Lai Li said.

"Four days," Cid replied, not pleased with the response. "I wish there were some way of going faster."

"It would help if we all had wings," Altim stated.

"Yeah," Cid muttered.

Lai Li was talking to Roshnialu once again.

"She says we may be able to get there faster," Lai Li said. "These tunnels come out near the base of the mountain, not far from the city. She may be able to get us some transportaion."

"That would be great," Cid replied.

"We can rest here for a few hours," Lai Li said as Roshnialu continued. "That way we can get to the city right before dawn, when the Chadara are most likely to be sleeping. We should not have much difficulty stealing a few chendu."

"Chendu?" Yuffie said.

"Beasts of burden," Lai Li explained.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Barret concluded.

Cid looked around at the others.

"All right then. I suggest we get some shuteye. Looks like this mission is finally on it's way."


	21. Shedding Some Light on Things

CHAPTER XXI

SHEDDING SOME LIGHT ON THINGS

For the most part the city ahead of them was dark. Only a few lights could be seen from some of the buildings, giving off a bluish light. At least in this city, there didn't seem to be much activity at night.

Red followed behind Ellengio as he walked down a sloping ravine, the only nearby cover on the otherwise featureless plain. Occasionally they would stop, and Ellengio would climb the slope and take a look around, but the night around them was peacerful. Nothing disturbed them as the city drew slowly closer.

They had been walking for almost an hour now since they had reached the plain, mostly in silence. They saw no sign of any Chadara, and indeed, even creatures of the night would have had difficulty detecting them. Ellengio moved with the natural ease of a Cetra, his footfall sure due to the superior night vision of his race. Even so, of the entire group, his footfall was the easiest detected. Red and Nipala followed him on their own padded feet, their natural hunting talents and ability to blend into the desert making them impossible to see in the darkness from more than a foot or two away. Cait came next, the Mog walking softly on his own padded feet, and Vincent last, his movement completely silent, not even the stirring of the wind marking his passage, like a ghost in the night.

Red sniffed the air, intruged by the night smells. He could detect many scents, but could not identify any of them. In the distance he could hear the sound of buzzing insects, or what he took for buzzing insects. He had to keep reminding himself this was another planet, the sounds and smells could mean something completely different from his assumptions.

They crested a small rise, where runoff from a dry riverbed had long ago filled in the ravine. They could see the city clearly now, the closest buildings not far away. Ellengio paused and they waited while he studied the town in front of them. Then without a word he continued on, walking softly back down into the ravine.

Red was about to follow when he looked up, his ears trying to zero in on the faint sound he had detected.

"Get down," he heard Vincent say, softly but with an obvious urgency.

Red flattened himself against the cool earth. He felt Nipala right beside him, athough motionless, even his keen eyesight could barely make her out. He felt rather than heard the flapping in the air above them. Lifting his head, he saw dark figures racing across the night sky overhead.

He didn't know how many passed by, but it seemed to last a long time, all of them flying south, into the mountains. Eventaully, however, the sky above them was clear once more, and Vincent stood up again, staring off after them.

"What was that all about?" Cait was the first to break the silence.

No one answered for a moment, finally Vincent's voice floated through the darkness.

"They're headed up into the moutains, " he said, as if that explained it all.

"Ummm," Ellengio commented. "Something's going on. We better get a move on."

The proceeded on their way, walking as swiftly as they dared thought the darkness. The bright silver sphere of Shinialyn had not yet risen in the sky, and the only light they had was the faint glow of stars above their heads.

Eventually the dark outlines of the first buildings rose up around them. They proceeded more cautiously. Once in the city itself, the chances of running into a Chadara increased greatly. They walked slowly and kept their eyes open, but the night was quiet around them, and the ground was empty. All the buildings nearby were dark. Red took this as a good sign, hoping they were either empty, or, if inhabited, the Chadara were sleeping soundly inside, if Chadara slept at all, that was.

"These buildings seem to have no entrance from ground level," Vincent observed.

Red nodded.

"It's probably done for defensive purposes," he said, keeping his voice down. "No ground entrance means that nothing that can't fly can get in easily."

"That may be good for us though," Vincent mused. "Knowing they have little to fear from anyone or anything on the ground, they may not keep anyone on guard."

None of the others replied, but they continued to work their way stealthily through the town. Red kept his eyes on each building as they passed, watching the pits of darkness that signified the openings above them, but nothing stirred, and they were not challenged.

They made there way slowly through the city. There didn't seemd to be any orgnaiziation. The buildiings seemed to be scattered about at random, not appearing in any greater concentration in any one place. There didn't seem to be any city 'center'. They continued to move cautiously, and Red kept his eyes open. It seemed hard for him to believe that they could just walk through the entire city without someone spotting them, but all was quiet.

They stopped, and Red saw Vincent staring off to the right.

"See something?" Ellengio asked.

"Over that way," Vincent said. "See that building?"

They all looked in the direction he indicated. At first Red saw nothing out of the ordinary. But then he noticed one building, almost invisible in the darkness. It was smaller than the others, and only a single story high. It was the first single story building they had seen.

They walked over to it. It was circular, the rounded stone made of the same material as the other buildings. They could see no entrance.

Red looked at it carefully.

"This seems to be out of character for the Chadara," he spoke. "All the other buildings are multi storied, with the entrances high above the ground. Where's the entrance to this one?"

Cait looked up at it.

"On the roof?" he suggested.

"Perhaps," Ellengio replied. "But none of their other buildings are like that. Come, let's look around it."

They circled slowly around the building. It seemed completely unmarked, but as they walked they saw a darker area on the wall of the building ahead of them. As they approached, it became clearer.

"A door!" Nipala said in surprise.

They stopped in front of it, looking at it curiously, the others obviously as surprised as Nipala. The only entrances they had seen to any of the buildings were the openings in the walls. They had seen no sign that the Chadara had any need of doors, had even, in fact, established the concept.

"This is interesting," Red said slowly.

Vincent walked up to the door and examined it closely.

"It's old," he said. "Very old. It doesn't look like it's been used in a long time."

He looked at Ellengio, his hand poised above the handle.

"Might was well see what's inside," the Ancient said.

Vincent grabbed hold of the handle and pushed. The door creaked, and a bit of dust fell from the corners, but it did not open.

"It's locked," Vincent said. He stepped back, his eyes still on the door. "It's old, and rotted. It would be a simple matter to kick it down, but I don't know how much noise that will make."

Again all eyes turned to Ellengio. He stood there for a moment in silence. Finally he nodded.

"We can't go stumbling around in the dark here forever," the Ancient stated. "It's going to get light again in an hour or two. We'll take the chance."

Vincent stepped forward again, kicking at the door. There was the crack of timbers. The door collapsed to the ground, breaking apart and sending up a cloud of dust.

Vincent coughed, then threw his cape over his face to shield it, and walked unhesitantly into the building. The others waited a moment for the dust to settle down a little, then followed.

Even with his keen eyes, Red could see little inside the building. He could barely make out the forms of the others, and the bulk of some large dark objects.

Suddenly light flared as Ellengio turned on a flashlight.

The dark objects were shelves, shelves that seemed to be filled with books. They looked around silently for a moment.

"Looks like we hit the jackpot," Cait muttered.

Ellengio walked over and plucked up one of the books. He blew the dust off of it and opened it up. The pages were yellow and brittle in his hand, some of them flaking to pieces at his touch. He shined the flashlight on it.

"I can't read it," he said. "It must be in Chadaran."

"Great," Cait said.

"Shine that light over here a moment," came Vincent's voice.

Ellengio obliged. Vincent was examining some kind of object on the wall. He pushed something, and suddenly the entire room was illuminated in a soft blue light.

The others looked around, but they could not see the source of the light.

"Much better," Ellengio said.

There were four long shelves in the room, running the length of it, but most of them were empty. Of the books that were there, some of them had long ago crumpled to dust, or had just bits and pieces of the covers remaining.

Ellengio went about methodically examining the one's that remained. The others stood around, or paced back and forth slowly. They didn't know Chadaran or Cetra, they could be of no help. Red walked along a row of books, trying to see the titles on the sidebar. He didnt' know the languages, but he thought he might be able to tell if one was in a different language from the rest. But the dust and damage defeated him in all but a handful of case. The books were just too old to be seen clearly, and, unfortunately, his paws were not designed to let him take a closer look.

"Hurry it up," Vincent stated. He stood motionless by the switch that had turned on the lights, his eyes focused on the door they had come through, the death penalty held loosely in his hands.

Ellengio just grunted in response, absorbed in what he was doing. Red reached the end of the row and gave up. The books were just too damaged. He could make out the titles to a few of them, and none of them seemed any different from the others.

"They don't seem to be much interested in reading anymore," Nipala commented.

"No they don't," Red agreed. He wondered just how old these books were. Obviously the place had been undisturbed for a long time, centuries, perhaps. The building was right in the middle of the city, yet it was ignored. That wasn't something a growing civilization would do without good reason. He had a feeling that this was somehow tied in with Jenova. Quite often a dominent race would destroy the books and records of the conquered. After all, knowledge was power, and having access to these books could cause more thinking than Jenova was interested in seeing from the Chadara.

Suddenly Vincent blurted out a warning, raising his gun toward the door. They all turned to see a Chadara standing in the entranceway. He wore silver armor and held some kind of rod in his hand.

"Domechu!" the creature commanded, raising the rod and pointing it at Cait, who was closest to the door.

Ellengio raised his hand, cautioning Vincent not to fire. He looked calmly at the Chadara.

"Gimoaha tu Cetarala?" he said.

"Chartoke, domechu!" the creature said harshly. He stepped to the side and six more of the creatures, identically dressed and carrying the same rods, entered as well.

Ellengio looked at the others.

"I take it you're not getting through to him," Cait observed.

"Cetarala?" Ellengio said again.

The creature motioned with his rod toward the door.

"Domechu!"

"Whatever that means, I'm getting tired of it," Cait said.

"What should we do?" Vincent questioned, his gun still pointed directly at the Chadara who had spoken.

"They don't speak Cetra," Ellengio said, sounding just a shade dissapointed. "Looks like they want us to go with them. I'd rather not fight now, not if there's any chance at all we can still get them to understand us. I guess we better just go with them."

"Think now might be a good time for Vincent to do that transformation thing?" Cait suggested.

Ellengio looked over at Vincent.

"Let's just see where they're going to take us first," he said.

"They could be taking us right to Jenova," Vincent said ominously.

"Possible. Unfortunately, I don't think we have much of a choice at this point. Those rods they have are obviously weapons of some kind. Vincent, I don't think you could shoot them all before they got you."

"I could get most of them," Vincent replied.

"Domechu!" the Chadara commanded.

"Whatever we're going to do, I think you should make up your mind," Cait said. "Looks like they're running out of patience."

"I don't want to be the first to open hositilites," Ellengio said. "Not if we have any other option. For all we know this could be a big misunderstanding."

"They've already got Cloud and the others," Vincent said stubbornly. "If they capture us too, they'll have half the team in their hands. And what will we have to show for it?"

"We don't know what they did with Cloud. We don't even know for sure that they are prisoners."

"If they're not prisoners, how come they haven't contacted us yet?" Vincent asked.

"Could be any number of reasons," Ellengio replied.

"Can we argue about this later?" Red asked, looking from then to the Chadara.

"Yes, let's," Ellengio responded. He walked toward the door. The Chadara stepped out of his way. Ellengio turned to look at the others. "C'mon."

The others filed out behind him, until only Vincent was left. He stood there for a moment, then sighed, lowered his gun, and followed as well.

Outside the Chadara led them off to the south, walking silently between the towering buildings. After spending so much time in the light, it seemed darker outside than ever, and they walked slowly while their eyes adjusted.

But they hadn't gone very far when suddenly dark figures rushed out of the darkness around them.

There were cries from the Chadara, and flashes of blue light as the weapons they held discharged. Red couldnt tell much about their attackers, but he could see in the light from the weapons that they were Chadara as well, and he could also see that the prisoners did not seem to be the object of the attack. The Chadara were fighting amongst themselves.

Red and the others gathered together in a defensive postion, but they did not attack. No one seemed interested in fighting with them, and there was no way for them to tell who was on who's side, or more importantly, who might be on their side, if anyone was at all.

He did note with interest every time one of the weapons was used. The rods seeemed to fire a blast of blue light that immediately dropped whomever it hit. The damage was not fatal, for he saw some of the victems twitching and moving feebly after they had been struck, but he could not tell in the darkness just how bad the damage was to each individual.

But their were only a few blasts. Their captives had been taken by surprise, and the darkness had allowed the other faction to close without being seen. The Chadara guarding them only had time to fire once or twice before their opponents were too close to use the weapon effectively.

At first the battle seemed roughly even. The Chadara that was attacking did not have any of the rods, but there seeemed to be many more of them, and eventually their numbers began to tell. Slowly the Chadara in the silver armor began to fall, dragged down and overwhelmed by their opponents numbers. Eventually the sounds of battle faded away as the last of them went down. Red noted that even when the battle had no longer been in doubt, none of the Chadara in the silver armor had given up, or turned and fled. All had fought unitl they had fallen.

A dark figure came up to them, and Red saw a Chadara staring at them.

"Hooman?" it said, looking at Ellengio.

They looked at it in surprise.

"Human, yes, or rather, Cetra," Ellengio replied.

"Cetarala?" the Chadara said.

"Cetarala, yes!" Ellengio exclaimed. "Gimoaha tu Cetarala?"

The Chadara suddenly started speaking excitedly to the others of his kind. The converstaion went on for quite some time.

"Did they understand you?" Nipala asked.

"They seemed to recognize the word Cetra," Ellengio replied. "But I don't think they understood the language."

The Chadara turned toward him once more.

"Domenchu."

"Isn't that what the other one said?" Nipala asked.

"Yes, but it seems more like a request than a commnad this time," Ellengio replied.

"They do seem a bit friendlier than the others," Cait said.

"Domenchu," the Chadara repeated. "Lensighe, hooman."

"They seem to be in a hurry," Vincent stated.

Ellengio looked down at the slain Chadara.

"Yes, I suppose it would be best if we departed here with all haste."

The Chadara led them quickly into the darkness. Red wasn't sure they were any better off than they had been a moment ago. It was obvious, however, that not all the Chadara were of like mind. This is the first time they had proof that there were different factions among the race, and if that were true, it was likely that some of them would be opposed to Jenova.

Red wasn't sure how long they walked, but it didn't take long before they stopped at the base of one building. The Chadara that was leading them looked at them and pointed up.

"Looks like we have to go up there," Cait said, looking up at the dark opening in the building above them.

The Chadara who had spoken grabbed hold of Ellengio. His wings spread behind him, and a moment later they were in the air. Red felt uncomfortable when another Chadara grabbed hold of him, but he knew this was the only way up. The Chadara flapped it's wings, and they rose slowly up, but didn't get more than a few feet off the ground, when they stopped. The Chadara continued to flap it's wings, obviously straining, the sound loud in Red's ears, but they ascended no higher until another Chadara came up beside the first and lent a hand.

Together they lifted Red up and into the building. The others were quickly brought up as well, all of them being lighter than Red, and requiring only one Chadara to do so, with Cait, light in spite of his size, the easiest of all.

Red looked around, blinking in the darkness. His eyes had adjusted now. He oould see the room they were in was mostly empty, but there were some darker objects along one wall. The Chadara that had brought them up were all gravitating in that direction.

Suddenly a bluish light flared. For a moment Red thought of the weapons the Chadara in armor had used, but then realized this was different. One of the Chadara was holding a short length of what looked like a piece of wood. The end of it was glowling with the bluish light. The Chadara was sheilding it, as if to hide it from anyone outside.

The object Red has seen in the dark looked like giant bean bags. There were three of them, spaced evenly along one wall. Even as he looked he saw a Chadara sitting up in the middle of one of them. Although Red was not an expert on Chadara anatomy, if the aging process in these creatures was at all similar to that of those on earth, and he had no reason to assume any differently, then this particular one seemed to be very old.

The Chadara that seemed to be the spokesperson engaged in a rapid conversation with the old one, who, after a moment, turned to Ellengio.

"Dones em...embaik ton, tontone," he said hesitantly.

"Piraltu chun kaltek," Ellengio said quickly. He turned to the others excitedly. "He knows Cetra!"

"All right!" Cait said. "Now we're getting somewhere."

The old Chadara continued talking, slowly, often groping for words. Ellengio spoke with him for a few minutes, while the others stood there looking at them impatiently. The other Chadara, the one that had spoken to them, seemed to be talking a lot, with the old Chadara translating for Ellengio.

"What's he saying?" Nipala asked when there was a pause in the converstaion.

"He's kind of hard to understand," Ellengio said without looking at her. "He learned the language as a boy, and hasn't used it in many years. He's forgotten a lot. He's been explaining what happened to the others of our kind, Cloud and the others, when they were brought here."

The Chadara continued to talk.

"The old one here is Rono," Ellengio said. "And the other one Donalis, was the one who first found them," Ellengio said, indicating the younger Chadara who was talking. "He was out looking for herbs on the mountainside when he spotted Cloud's group. He flew closer, coming up from below. He saw one of them fall. He caught...Elena!"

"What?" Vincent said, eyes flashing in the dim light.

"Elena's alive!" Ellengio said, turning to look at him. "Donalis caught her and brought her here."

"I can't believe it," Cait muttered.

Vincent stepped forward.

"Is it true?"

Ellengio spoke with the other two for a few moments more.

"It was her," he said finally. "She's alive."

"Where...where is she?" Vincent said, and for the first time they could recall, they heard genuine shock in his voice.

"She's not here," Ellengio replied. "Hold on."

He talked for a while longer with the other two.

"She's been taken to Daris, a city north of here. They were all taken by Jenova."

"Jenova?" Nipala hissed.

Ellengio nodded.

"Donalis says it's his fault. He didn't know who or what we were. The Chadara are under orders to report anything out of the ordinary to Jenova, especially any strange people or creatures. The punishment for disobeying is severe. He did so, before he realized just what we were. But he asked around and heard some stories, stories about the Cetra, stories from a times long ago, almost forgotten now, that he had never heard before, and he began to regret his action. The Chadara have never been happy being dominated by Jenova, but they never thought they had any chance of fighting back. He thought maybe these people could help them."

"Unfortunately, as I said, he had already reported them, and the next day a Jenova came to get them. He had stayed with them up to that point, trying to find a way to comminucate, but hadn't had much success. When Jenova's guards came to take them, there was nothing he could do."

"Still, he gathered together those of like mind, to keep an eye on things. He hadn't been prepared the first time, but he was determined that he would be if by some chance he was given another opportunity. When he heard that the Jenova guard was returning to search the hills above the city, he kept a close eye on them. So when the guard was alerted to intruders in the city itself, he and the others were nearby. They intercepted the guard, and we all know the rest."

"Lucky for us they were there," Red mused.

"Indeed," Vincent said. "How far is it to Daris?"

Ellengio looked at him.

"Elena?"

Vincent nodded.

"I have to find her. I must talk to her."

"Don't tell me you're going to go running off by yourself again?" Cait questioned.

Ellengio spoke to the others.

"It's about a days march by chendu to the north," he said.

"Chendu?" Cait said.

"I know what he means," Vincent stated.

"Vincent, please stay with us," Ellengio said. "It doesn't seem likely you can do anything for Elena by yourself. From what I understand, Daris is a large city, much bigger than this one. If you're going to try to rescue her, wouldn't it be better if we all did it togther?"

"I suppose," Vincent said slowly. "But are you going straight to Daris?"

"Let's just find out what they have to say first," Ellengio said. "Then we can decide."

Vincent did not reply.

Ellengio spoke again in the other language. This time he only talked to the older Chadara. Aftere a minute he looked at the others.

"I asked him why it was that only he seems to know Cetra. He told me the language hasnt' been used since before he was born. He never met a Cetra himself, although he had heard rumors of their existance in his youth, but now even those have faded. As far as he knows, there are none left."

Ellengio looked obviously disappointed.

"I'm sorry," Niapala said.

The Ancient shook his head.

"It's a big planet," he said. "Just becasue there are none around here doesn't mean there aren't any at all. I'm not ready to give up yet."

"You said the Jenova guards were searching the hills," Vincent said. "Could it be they're looking for our ship?"

Ellengio put the question to the Chadara.

"They don't know," he replied.

Red looked at Cait.

"Can you contact Cid?" he asked.

Cait stood motionless for a few moments.

"I'm not getting any answer," he said.

"No answer from the ship?" Nipala said in suprise.

Cait shook his head.

"No."

"That's not good," Red said.

The others were silent for a moment.

"Not good at all," Ellengio agreed, looking not at all plesased with this information. Just when things seemed to have finally started to go their way.

"What about the generator?" Cait questioned.

Ellengio talked with the Chadara once again.

"They've never heard of it," he said. "But, Rono had heard rumors, in his youth. It all happened two thousand years ago, and there are no records, but there are legends, among them a poem handed down through the generations. It was said to have been taught to the Chadara by the Cetra, and was supposed to be very important, though no one seemed to know exactly what it meant. It was taught to every Chadara as a child, almost like a tradition."

Rono recited the words, while Ellengio translated.

_To close the circle  
Take the sunlight stone  
to the eye of Aramus  
in the Valley of Everlasting Longing_

Rono fell silent.

"That's it?" Cait questioned.

Ellengio did not reply.

"The sunlight stone," Red mused. "Could that be the crystal materia?"

"Then what's the eye of Aramus? And the Valley of Everlasting Longing?" Nipala questioned.

"Ellengio?" Cait said.

The Ancient seemed to be staring off into space, caught up in his own thoughts.

"I need a map," he said suddenly.

"What?" Cait said.

"A map, I need a map," he repeated. Then he started talking rapidly in Chadara.

Rono said something to Donalis, who started talking loudly to the other Chadara. Eventually one stepped forward. Donalis and the new Chadara spoke for a few moments, then looked at Rono, who talked to Ellengio.

"Damn," Ellengio said. "They don't have maps. They must find there way somehow."

He started off again in Cetra, talking excitedly and guesturing with his hands for emphasis. For a long time they seemed to be discussing things, then the Chadara who Donalis had spoken to turned and flew out of the building. He came back a few minuted later, with something in his hands. He stooped down beside Ellengio and dropped a pile of sand onto the floor.

Ellengio smoothed it out. The drew a line and a circle. Then he pointed to them and spoke to Rono, who spoke to the other Chadara. The Chadara nodded and a few moments later was adding features of his own. A few minutes later Ellengio turned to the others.

"The don't have maps," he repeaated, "So we've had to come up with our own makeshift one." He pointed to the circle he had made. "This is Taltir, the city we are now in. The mountian range where we landed it called Yarmool." He pointed to another circle. "This is Daris. There are many other features here, but they are all unimportant, except for this."

He pointed to a jagged line the Chadara had drawn east of the city of Daris.

"What's that?" Cait asked.

Ellengio tapped the sand for emphasis.

"That is where the field generator is located."


	22. The Daring Escape

CHAPTER XXII

THE DARING ESCAPE

Reeve lay at the edge of a rocky crag, inspecting the city below him. It was much larger than the the pervious one, and seemed more organized. Though they were much fewer than in a city on his own planet, this one had roads winding through it, and the buildings seemed to be lined up in a more orderly fashion. The city was well lit, and he could see Chadara walking the streets, going about their business even at this late hour.

Which would make it that much more difficult for him.

The caravan he had been following had stopped in front of a group of buildings near the center of the city. Buildings which looked very differernt from what he had grown accustomed to seeing on this planet. He could only conclude that they were build, or at least designed, for Jenova.

He slowly shook his head. Things didn't look good at all. For the millionth time he wondered what the hell he was doing here. What had Vincent expected him to do, rush in and rescue the others all by himself? He had learned a lot since he had first joined Avalanche in their adventures, but he wasn't going to kid himself into thinking he was some kind of hero. He couldn't just go busting into that city and expect to survive. Maybe that was something Cloud or Zack might do, but they had been in SOLDIER, they had been trained to fight since they were kids. He knew he couldn't match that.

No, there was nothing he could do by force. He would have to depend on his wits and luck. He smiled ruefully. In other words, he was in big trouble.

He slid back down the slope to his waiting chendu. He pulled everything off it that he thought might be useful. The chendu did not protest, being content to chew on the sparse vegetation that grew here beside the road, ignoring him once again. He couldn't ride the beast into the city. He would be spotted immediately. He had seen that to the west the buildings came right up to the foothills of the mountains around it. That part of town was far from the main roads, where most of the activity was taking place. It seemed likely he could slip in that way without being noticed.

It took him over an hour to reach the edge of town. The hills were trackless, and even in the dim light he felt it necessary to stay out of view as much as possible. It didn't hurt to be cautious. He didn't think there was any rush, it was better to move slowly and not risk being seen.

A number of times he considered going back. He now knew where Cloud and the others were, and wasn't that what Vincent had wanted him to find out? It might be wiser to head back and get help from the others.

But he kept moving forward. True, he knew where Cloud was now, but what was to say they wouldn't be moved again? If he went back and they were moved, he would lose track of them completely, and then what would they do? No, it was best to find out what he could while he was here. Maybe, by some miracle, he could come up with a way to help them. And if, on the other hand, it looked impossible, he could always go back then.

There were no streets in the section of town he had decided to enter. The buildings here were quite similar to the town they had seen earlier, just a bit more organized. It was dark here too. There were no lights in this section, but the glow from the streets filtered through, making it light enough to see, and be seen.

He heard voices. He flattened himself to the side of one building, slipping his shotgun into his hands. He stood there unmoving for many minutes, and eventually the voices faded away. With a sigh of relief he started on his way again. He looked down at the shotgun. He didn't think it would be very wise to fire it here. The sound would probably have the whole city down on top of him in minutes.

The lights were brighter now, and he could tell he was nearing a more populated section of the city. He moved more slowly still, and eventually he peered around one building to see the main road in front of him.

He couldn't see any Chadara, but he could hear voices not too far away. He looked up the road, trying to gauge exactly where he was. To the north he spotted the tall spire of one of the unusual buildings. He wasn't too far from them, but he would have to cross the road to reach them.

There had been a Chadara blanket on the chendu, and he had brought it along. Now he wrapped it around himself. Not likely that anyone would mistake him for a Chadara, but if he was spotted in the semi darkness, from farther away, the blanket might fool them.

He inched his way out a little further. He saw some Chadara standing further down the road, one of them on a chendu. They didn't seem to be paying much attention to the road around them.

He slipped back into the shadows. Even if they weren't paying much attention, it was foolish to expose himself, not unless all other possibilities had been exhausted. The blanket wouldn't hide him in the light in the streets. He would stick out like a sore thumb.

He waited. The Chadara couldn't stand there forever. They would have to move on eventually. The road wasn't all that crowded this late at night. Perhaps if he waited he could get across when no one was nearby.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there. It seemed like a long time. He kept looking around nervously. The longer he sat there the more chance there was that someone would happen by. It was still dark, but he knew the nights here didn't last that long. He looked to the east, but there was no telltale lightening of the sky in that direction that would signal the coming of dawn.

A number of other Chadara passed by, but none of them even glanced in his direction. He was just about to get fed up and attempt to cross anyway, when the Chadara he was waiting for finally moved on.

He watched them until they vanished around a turn down the road. He looked around one more time, making sure the way was clear, but saw no one. He hesitated a moment more, then wrapped a fold of the blanket over his head and started across the road.

He wanted to run, but he figured if any Chadara happened by and saw him, the fact that he was running would draw their immediate attention. If he walked, and they were far enough away, they might not pay any attention.

"Shodun."

He felt a and icy hand wrapping around his heart at the sound of the voice.

He looked back. A Chadara in silver armor was standing in front of one of the buildings. He was too close to have come down the road. He must have been standing there all the time. Some kind of guard, perhaps, and Reeve hand't even seen him.

"Shodun," the Chadara said again, starting toward him.

The assessment took Reeve about a second. His shotgun was hidden by his side, under the blanket, but it would be a simple matter to bring it to bear. The blast was bound to cause a stir, however. The Chadara wasn't that close, and the buildings on the other side of the road provided some cover. He thought he could reach them before the Chadara had a chance to react.

He ran.

There was a flash of blue light behind him. He didn't hang around to see what had caused it. He plunged between two buildings, throwing the blanket off and pulling out his shotgun. He ran on blindly, turning in random directions. He could hear shouts behind him, and it was obviously the voices of more than one Chadara. He knew it wouldn't be long before they organized themselves, and what chance would he have then?

"So much for wits and luck," he muttered.

He stopped for a moment in the shadow of a doorway, trying to catch his breath. They had the advantage now. They knew the city, and he didn't.There were many of them, and under those circumstances it would be impossible to avoid them for very long. If he could, it would probably be best to get out of the city as quickly as possible, but now he wasn't even sure which way would be the fastest way out. He looked around, but saw no sign of the unusual buildings. He had no idea where he was.

He brought his shotgun up as he heard shouts to the left, but they passed without coming close to him. He saw dark shadows fly by in the sky above him, and crept further back into the shadows. He knew he couldn't stand there much longer. He had to do something.

Where could he go. He couldn't get out of town, and he couldn't remain on the streets. Evenually they would be sure to find him. He needed someplace to hide, but where? He looked up at the dark openings in the buidlings around him. He couldn't even reach them.

C'mon, he admonished himself. There had to be something he could do. Think!

He heard more shouts.

It was a big city, he thought. And all big cities had things in common. Food, water and power all had to be brought in. Wastes and runoff had to be removed.

Sewers.

He couldn't get into any of the buildings, but if they had sewers, there had to be some access to them.

He looked around. There was no one nearby. He ran again, heading back toward the lights. He knew it was more risky that way, but the lights were by the streets, and if they had a sewer system, that would be under the streets as well.

He came out onto a road, looking around quickly. There were no Chadara in sight at the moment, but he could hear yelling very close by. He looked up and down the road and was rewarded to see a dark grate near the edge of the street not far from him. He ran over to it. It looked very similar to the sewer covers on his own planet, just a little smaller, and with a handle built into the center of it. He grabbed hold of it and pulled, but it didn't budge. He heard a shout, and looked up to see two Chadara running toward him.

He pulled frantically on the cover, but it did not move. He looked at it. It had strange markings on it, probably instructions, but he couldn't understand any of it. He pulled again, and felt the handle move a bit. He twisted it, first to the right and then left. When he twisted to the left it moved easily, stopping after it had rotated forty five degrees. He pulled again and it came up easily in his hand.

The hole below was narrow and pitch black. He could not see any ladder of other device that he could climb down. He glanced up again and saw the Chadara closing fast. He hesitated a second, but he knew he had no choice. He jumped in.

It seemed like a long drop, though it only took a moment. For a split second he thought he was dead, but then he hit the water with a splash. It hadn't been that far at all. He stood up, for the water was only a few inches deep. He was unhurt. He could here shouts above. He got up and stumbled away from the hole above him. Suprisingly, he found he could see. There seeemd to be some kind of fungus or mold covering the walls that gave off a dim glow. It wasn't very bright, but it was enough to see by. He found he was in a narrow tunnel, barely high enough to stand. He couldn't see very far in either direction.

He heard a splash in the water behind him. The Chadara had come down as well. He turned and fired his shotgun blindly behind him. The blast sounding like an explosion in the narrow confines of the sewer. He didn't look back to inspect the damage, if he had caused any at all, but ran down the tunnel, around a turn.

He didn't know where he was going. Like he had up above, he just ran to get away. Hopefully the shotgun blast would make them a bit leery of following him and give him some time.

He slowed down a little. Time to do what? It didn't seem like he was much better off than before. The threat of capture was a little less immiment now, but that wasn't all that reasssuring. He still had no plan, no way to find the others. He had no idea where he was, or which direction he had to go in. And down here there were no landmarks at all. He could wander around down here for months, going in circles.

But he didn't think they'd give him that much time. There had to be some Chadara here who knew the layout of the sewers. Eventually they would organize a search down here as well. He didn't have much time.

He pressed on, realizing there was little else he could do. At worst, he could just go back up somewhere along the line. The Chadara would not know where he would come out, and it he got lucky, it might be near the edge of town and he could slip away. At any rate, he felt he had a better chance down here than he had on the surface. At least here, they couldn't sneak up on him.

But as he progressed he realized there were some holes in his plan. For one thing, the sewer openings above him were extremely hard to spot. The fungus seemed to grow only near the water than ran along the bottom of the tunnels. It's light did not reach up to the ceiling, which he could barely make out. It he wasn't careful, he could walk right past the openings without even noticing them.

Even so, if her were careful and kept his eyes open, he could make them out. But there was an even bigger problem. The exits were in the middle of the ceiling, with no ladder, no way up. The Chadara undoubtably used their wings to fly up to the exit. Unfortunately, he didn't have that luxury. He had no way to reach the exit, even if he saw one.

Perhaps coming down in the sewers hadn't been such a good idea after all.

But there was nothing he could do about it now. His only choice was to move on. Perhaps somewhere in the sewers, he could find something that he could climb on to get out.

As he progressed he began to notice a pattern in the sewer system. The walls of the sewer tunnel curved always to the left, in a long arc. He passed a number of side passages, and he noticed that they always seemed to run straight. He turned down one at random. It ran for a short distance and them came out at another intersection, turning left and right. The walls of this sewer also slowly and uniformly curved.

It seemed to him that the sewer was build in the shape of a wheel, running in circles underneath the city, with spokes connecting the concentric circles. The unusual buildings he had seen had been just about in the center of the city. Perhaps if he walked down the spokes to the center, he would be under those buildings.

He turned left and head down one of the side passage 'spokes'. Even if his assumption was true, he still had no way to get up to the exits, but he wasn't going to worry about that right now. One thing at a time. He had heard no sound of pursuit since he had fired his shotgun. It was quite possible they weren't all that anxious to chase him through the dark sewers. Maybe this hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

A snarling growl echoed through the sewer.

Reeve jumped and turned around, shotgun in hand. What the hell was that? The growl had sounded like it had come from right behind him, but there was nothing there. He realized that in the sewer, all sounds seemed to be magnified.

He stood there for a moment, looking around nervously. That hadn't been a Chadara. Whatever it was, it had not sounded very friendly. Perhaps there was good reason the Chadara were not pursuing him.

The growl sounded again, and this time even closer, if that were possible. He couldn't pinpoint it exactly, but it was coming from in front of him.

He turned around and walked rapidly away, trying to be as quiet as possible. Whatever it was, he wasn't anxious to run into it. Maybe if he just headed off in the other direction, it would leave him alone.

He reached another intersection. The walls were curving much more obviuosly than they had before. He could tell he was nearing the center.

The growl came from behind him again, raising the hair on the back of his neck. It sounded just as close as it had before. He turned and looked behind him again. He couldn't see very far. The fungus did not light the tunnel very well, but he thought he could make out a deeper darkness in the tunnel back there. He saw movement. Something was back there, something big.

He raised his gun and fired.

Once more the sound nearly deafened him. There was a screech behind him, and animal sound like he had never heard before. He didn't waste anymore time looking, but turned and ran.

He no longer made any attempt at stealth. The creature had found him, was probably stalking him the whole time. He had been quiet before and it had found him anyway, so it seemed useless to continue to try. He had no idea what it was, but from the cries he heard coming from behind him, the shotgun only seemed to have pissed it off. He had no idea if he could outrun it, but there didn't seem to be any alternative.

He turned down another one of the spokes, and suddenly he saw light ahead, not the dim illumination of the fungi, but real light.

Splashing though the water, he sturggled toward it. He could still hear the beast behind him. It's growls mingling with the sound of it splashing through the water as well. He could tell it was not far behind.

He came out into a huge cavern. It was cicular, and he could see that he had reached the center of the system. The room was lit with blue overhead lights, high above in the ceiling. In the center of the room was a large pool filled with water. A dozen tunnels, identical to the one he had just exited, lined the walls, the runoff from all flowing into the pool.

Large pumps lined one wall. There was a metal stairway beside one leading up to a door. A real door!

Reeve ran up the steps. He turned the handle, but the door refused to budge. He suddenly spun around as the creature emerged from the tunnel.

It was similar to a giant rat. It was covered with long shaggy hair. He looked down at it to see large red eyes staring back up at him. The beast had long claws on the end of each limb, and it's muzzle was pulled back in a snarl, exposing yellowed two inch long canines.

Reeve franticlly pulled on the door, but it refused to budge. He threw himself against it, but it was metal, and quite solid. It barely moved.

He turned around again, bringing up his shotgun as the creature charged at him. The blast caught it's back, just behind the head. It screeched again, and blood flew, but the wound did not seem to slow it down. It thew itself at the stairs, which collasped as it smashed into them.

Reeve was flung clear. He cried out in pain as he tumbled to the ground, right at the edge of the pool. He pulled himself up, in spite of the pain, and fired again. The creature was momentarily tangled in the ruins of the stair. This shot hit it in the head, and it screamed in rage as one eye went dark. The creature pulled itself out of the ladder, wounded but still full of fight.

Reeve backed up, looking arround desperately. The creture was only a few yards away. The shotgun was empty now, and he knew he would never have time to relaod before the beast was upon him. The tunnels were all too far away, not that he could get away even if he could reach them. He looked at the pool. The water was murky, and he could not tell how deep it was. Jumping into the water was not something he was anxious to do. The creature would probably just follow him, and in the water he would have no chance, not that he was any better off on land. Still, it looked like he had no choice.

He was just about to jump in when he spotted a small grate along the wall. It covered a dark hole that appeared to be there to control spillover from the pool. The grate was thin and looked like he could easily break through it. He couldn't tell where the narrow tunnel beyond it led, but one thing was obvious, the tunnel was much too narrow for the beast to follow him.

He turned and kicked quickly at the grate. It caved in easily. He heard a roar, and saw the creature lunging at him. The hole behind the grate was narrow and dark, and appeared to go almost straight down into the darkness. Without hesitation, and for the second time that night, he took the plunge.

He found himself sliding out of control down an almost vertical shute. There were no lights in here, of course, and the fungus that grew along the passageways above did not grow here. Frantically his arms shot out, trying to find something to grasp along the walls. But the walls were smooth. He thrust out his legs, trying to drive them against the opposite wall and slow himself down that way, but though the walls did not glow, they were deeply covered in some kind of slim, and his legs just slipped off. The light above him quckly faded, and in spite of all his efforts, he found himself plummeting completely out of control, downward into the unknown.

* * *

Tifa fell to her knees as the Chadara roughly pushed her into the room.

"Are you alright?" Cloud said, rushing over to her.

She nodded as he wrapped a protective arm around her.

"Are you sure?" he said, looking into her eyes. She certainly didn't look alright. Her face was pale and she was drenched in sweat. Cloud looked up at the Chadara, hate blazing in his eyes.

"Bastards!" he said menacingly.

"Domenchu!" one of the Chadara said, taking out his rod and motioning towards the door.

"What did they do to you?" Cloud asked, ignoring the command.

Tifa shook her head slowly. She shuddered just thinking about it. She didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to think about it. All she wanted to do was shut it out of her mind. But she had to tell them something.

"It...it was horrible," she said slowly. "It was Jenova. It was...inside me."

"In..inside you?" Cloud said.

"In my head," she replied. "It...it was crawling around in my head. It saw everything...everything! Oh God, it was so horrible. Please, I...I don't want to talk about it."

She shivered and seemed near tears. Cloud pulled her to him.

"It's alright," he said gently. "It's over now. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"Domenchu!"

Cloud stood up, staring at the Chadara.

"What the hell did you do to her?" he shouted.

He took a step toward them. The Chadara instantly brought the rod around to point it at him. He felt Tifa grab hold of his arm.

"No, Cloud. Don't. They'll just zap you with that catttle prod again. I'm alright, really."

Cloud hesitated, looking back and forth betweeen the Chadara and Tifa. Finally he relaxed.

"Fine," he said tightly. "But this isn't over yet."

"Domenchu!" the Chadara said yet again, waving the rod toward the door.

"I think they want us to go with them," Elena said.

"And I was just getting comfortable," Reno sighed.

Cloud reached down and helped Tifa to her feet.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

She nodded.

He hesitated a moment, looking at the others, wondering what was going on now. But whatever it was, he wasn't going to find out by standing around. There wasn't much they could do at the moment but go along.

He walked out of the room, his arm around Tifa's waist, supporting her as they walked. The others followed. Cloud stared at the Chadara as they moved down the hall. Even without a weapon he thought he could easily take the one who had spoken. They didn't seem to be all that wary. But there were six others, and he knew he couldn't get them all. And besides, there were probably plenty of others around to come to their aid. It just wasn't the right time.

The Chadara led them down the hall. Cloud looked around as they walked, keeping track of how many Chadara he saw, and where they congregated. He also tried to see into any rooms they passed, as well as memorizing the path they were taking, knowledge that might come in handy in the future.

The reached a stone stairway. They had to watch their footing as they went down, as the steps were unusually narrow and steep, not really made for human feet. Tifa stumbled once, but Cloud's sure grip prevented her from falling.

They seemed to go down a long way. They hadn't gone up at all when they had first been brought in, so it was obvious they were now underground. The came out into a long hallway, with those strange blue glowing sticks lining the walls. They walked down the passsageway, and soon came to an area lined with cells.

"Looks like we're being sent to the dungeon," Reno remarked.

"Yeah," Cloud said, looking around. That was exactly what this reminded him of.

"Porta!" the Chadara commanded.

"Whatever," Elena mumbled.

The Chadara glared at them, but then turned and strode forward again. He stopped shortly thereafter in front of one of the cells. He pulled out a key and opened the door, then stood to the side.

They hesitated just a moment, then filed into the room. The area was dimly lit, the far end of the cell shrouded in darkness. The floor was covered with straw, and the could barely make out what looked like cots lining the back wall.

"What lovely acoomodations," Reno commented dryly.

The Chadara closed and locked the door. He looked at them for a moment, then turned and led the other Chadara away. In moments they were alone.

"Wonder what made them bring us here?" Aeris pondered.

"Do you think it has something to do with what happened to you?" Elena questioned, looking at Tifa.

"I don't know," Tifa replied slowly.

"The area we were in may have just been a holding area," Reno suggested. "Just until they figured out what to do with us."

"So you think they're just going to let us rot in here?" Elena questioned.

"At least they haven't killed us," Aeris pointed out.

"Give them time," Reno replied grimly.

"So what do we do now?" Elena questioned.

"Whatdya think?" Reno replied. "We wait. Again."

"Wait for what?" Elena said. "For them to come back and do to us what they did to Tifa? Or worse?"

"How the hell should I know?" Reno replied. "If you've got any ideas, now would be a good time."

Elena fell silent. Tifa felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She was still suffering from the afteraffects of her ordeal. She grabbed hold of Cloud for support.

"Are you alright?" he said sharply.

"I'll be fine," she replied. "I just need to lie down."

She turned and walked slowly towards the cots at the back of the room. Cloud followed her with his gaze, concern plain on his face.

She stopped suddenly, and he could hear the faint intake of her breath.

"Tifa?" he said.

She didn't reply. He quickly walked over to her to see her staring at one of the cots. In the dim light it was hard to see, and at first he thought the cot was covered with a pile of rags, but then he made out a face amid the rags, and he realized there was someone on the cot.

A young boy, and it was not a Chadara.

"What the hell?" he blurted out.

The others quickly came up to stand beside them. Cloud could see from the shocked looks on their faces that they were just as surprised as he.

"Is he...human?" Elena was the first to break the silence.

"Ridiculous," Reno said. "How could a human get here?"

"No," Aeris said suddenly. "Not human."

"Gimoaha tu Cetarala?" she said.

The boy did not reply. Aeris took a step forward. The boy cringed back in fear.

"We're not going to hurt you," Aeris said kindly. Slowly she took another step forward, then stooped down and reached out her hand. The boy pushed himself back against the wall, staring at her in obvious fear. Aeris smiled at him.

"Gimoaha tu Cetarala?" she said again.

The boy looked back and forth at them, then slowly focused on Aeris.

"Du...du mon."

Aeris turned to look at the others.

"Not human. He's a Cetra."

The stood there for a moment in silence.

"Of course," Cloud said softly.

"So there _are_ others," Elena said.

Aeris sat down on the cot beside the boy, talking softly in Cetra to him. Slowly he seemed to get over his fear. For a long time the two talked, and at first Aeris did most of it, the boy obviously still fearful and reluctant to say anything. But gradually, as it became clear to him that they were no threat, he began to open up and talk more. For a long time they sat there. The others remained silent, realizing this was best left to Aeris. After a while Reno wandered off, looiking over the rest of their cell, inspecting the bars and the walls. Tifa lay down on one of the empty cots, while Cloud and Elena just stood there patiently. Eventually Aeris turned toward them.

"He says his name is Jinn. He comes from an area south of here called Gorthan. It's a mountainous region."

"What place around here isn't?" Reno muttered.

Aeris gave him a look and he shut up.

"It's a desolate area," she continued. "His parents lived there, hiding from Jenova, along with a few rebel Chadara. There were never many of them, and they knew they could never actively oppose Jenova. All those who had tried that had long since perished. They did not seek any trouble, just wanted to be left alone."

"It was the only life he ever knew, and it was difficult. Always in hiding, always looking behind their back, always worried that somehow they would give themeselves away, or be found somehow. There were no other Cetra children, and few Chadara children either. It was a hard life for a child."

Aeris paused and patted the young boy's hand.

"But eventually they were discovered. They never found out exactly how, but it wasn't a small patrol that happened upon them, it was a large organized force, so his father suspected they had been betrayed. He never had the chance to find out for sure, for both his parents were killed, along with most of the Chadara. He was brought back here and imprisoned. He's not sure why he was kept alive, or what plans they have for him. He's not even sure how long he's been here, but it's seemed like a long time."

Aeris fell silent and looked at the others.

"Are there any other Cetra around, that he knows about?" Cloud asked.

Aeris shook her head.

"As far as he knows, he's the last one."

Cloud nodded and they fell silent, pondering this new information. It didn't look like it would be of much use to them, but Cloud thought the mere fact that the boy existed was significant. If he was here, there was a good chance there could be more Cetra, in spite of the fact that Jinn hadn't seen any.

"What was that?"

Cloud looked at Aeris, thinking the question had been directed at him. But she was staring off into space.

She slowly stood up, looking up at the ceiling.

"I don't understand. What?"

"Aeris?" he said, a frown forming on his face. But then hs shut his mouth as he realized she'd either lost her mind, or, more likely, she was speaking to the planet.

"I'm sorry, what you are saying is not clear," she said.

Cloud saw the others looking at Aeris as well. Tifa looked thoughtful, but the expression on the two Turks faces was almost comical. Elena looked at Cloud expectantly.

"She's talking to the planet," he said quietly, trying not to distract her.

Reno shook his head. Elena gave Cloud a lost look.

"She can do that? Even here?" she said.

Cloud nodded.

"I guess so," he replied.

"No, don't go," Aeris said. "I can't understand. I can't..."

She lowered her head and looked at the others. They stood there in silence for a moment.

"So?" Reno interjected. "What the hell was that all about?"

Aeris shrugged.

"The planet was trying to tell me something. Something important. But the message was garbled. I couldn't understand it. I think something was blocking it."

"Something?" Elena said.

"Jenova," Cloud pronounced.

"Probably," Aeris agreed. "Though I can't say for sure."

"You couldn't understand anything at all?" Tifa questioned.

"Not really," Aeris replied. "There's some kind of danger. Nearby and unexpected. That's about all."

"That's it?" Reno said derisively. "I could have told you that."

"I'm sorry," Aeris said apologetically. "There was more, I just couldn't understand it."

"Okay," Cloud said. "It's all right." There was nothing Aeris could do if Jenova was interfering. But Reno was right, that information didn't tell them anything.

"So why do you think the put us in here with Jinn?" Tifa asked.

Cloud shrugged.

"I don't know," he replied. "I guess this is just the place where they keep all their prisoners."

Reno tapped on the wall behind them.

"Well, seems they picked a good place. These walls are quite solid. Although," he continued, running his finger between two blocks of stone, "The mortar between these stones seems to be a little weak from age. If we had some kind of tool, I'll bet we could dig through it."

Cloud looked at the wall dubiously.

"How long would that take us?" he questioned.

"Depends on the tool," Reno replied.

Cloud searched through his pockets.

"Does anybody have anything we can use?" he questioned.

"Oh yeah, I got a jackhammer right here in my back pocket," Reno retorted.

Cloud just looked at the others.

"The Chadara took everything we have," Elena said.

"Maybe Jinn has something?" Tifa suggested doubtfully. The rags the boy was dressed in were probably his only possesions.

Aeris spoke to him for a few moments. Then they both stood up and she looked at the others in surprise.

"He says he does," she replied. "He was afraid to tell us at first, but he thinks he can trust us now. Apparently he's had the same idea."

The boy grabbed hold of the cot and pulled it away from the wall. He brushed through the straw that had lain beneath it and picked up something. They all came forward and Cloud saw it was a metal spoon.

"A spoon?" Reno said. "Oh that's helpful. It would take us months."

"Would you quit your complaining," Aeris said. Reno looked at her in surprise.

"Look at the wall," she said.

Jinn had gone over to the wall and was now pointing to one of the stones. They inspected it and saw that the mortar had already been mostly stripped away.

"He's already started!" Cloud said.

"Uh huh," Aeris replied. "I told you he had the same idea. He's been doing it for a long time, whenever he was alone. As you can see, he's nearly through."

Cloud stopped down and examined the stone. Jinn had indeed scrapped away most of the mortar already. It didn't look like it would take them long to finish the job, even with an instrument as ill suited as a spoon.

"Excellent," he proclaimed.

"How do we know there's not solid rock behind that thing?" Elena questioned.

Cloud's excitement level dropped a notch. That was a good question. He looked at Aeris, who posed the question to Jinn.

"He says to listen," she said.

Before Cloud could ask what she meant, she sat down on the floor an pressed her ear to the wall. They all stood there looking at her for a moment, until she turned toward them.

"I hear water," she said.

"Water?" Cloud repeated.

"An undeground river?" Tifa suggested.

"Perhaps," Cloud replied. "Whatever it is, it proves there something back there. There doesn't seem to be much more to go on this block, and with all of us here to take turns it shouldn't take too long. I'll start off. Reno, you keep an eye out for any Chadara."

Without further ado, Cloud picked up the spoon and started on the wall. It was not an easy tool to use. He had to use the handle end, and, in spite of the effort it took him, it gouged out only tiny portions at a time. He kept at it until his hand started to go numb, then handed it off to Elena.

They had no idea how long they worked. There was no way to tell time. They couldn't even tell if it was night or day. Eventually Elena sat back, rubbing her hands. She looked at Reno.

"Your turn."

Reno hesitated.

"I don't think I can do it," he said, lookng down at his hands, then back up at Elena. "I've got a touch of arthritis. I can't do dextrous work like that."

Elena mouth dropped open.

"Reno, you are so full of it," she exclaimed. "You never mentioned anything like that. Besides, you're too damn young to have arthritis."

"I am not," Reno replied defensively. "It can happen at any age. It depends on the type. Of course I never mentioned it before, I never had any need to. It's not something I go about advertising, you know."

Elena stared at him.

"I don't believe you!" she said. "I can't believe you're making excuses not to help us! I know you're a lazy bastard, but this is a new low for you."

"It's true!" Reno exclaimed.

"Bull!" she retorted.

"Keep it down!" Cloud hissed.

They both shut up, just staring at one another.

"We don't have time for this," Cloud continued. "Reno, we all know you're lying. Just pick up the damn spoon and lend a hand, for once in your life."

"I'm telling you, I can't do it," Reno said stubbornly. "You believe me, don't you Aeris?"

Aeris looked at him for a moment.

"I...uh..," she stammered.

"Oh give me the damn spoon," Tifa cut in, stepping over to Elena. "I'll do it."

"No," Elena said, pulling it away. "It's Reno's turn. I'm not going to let him weasel out of it."

"Damn, Elena," Reno said. "I might expect this kind of skepticism from them, but not from a fellow Turk."

"Oh don't give me that comrade in arms story," Elena retorted. "I know you better than that."

"I'm telling the truth," Reno insisted.

"Stop it," Cloud spoke up. "Dammit, we don't have time for this. It's been hours. We don't know when the Chadara will come back, but they're bound to stop in here eventually. I don't think they're planning on starving us to death. We need to get moving and we don't have time for Reno's stupid games. If he doesn't want to help, fine, he can sit there all he wants. Just don't expect us to cocerned if he needs help sometime. Elena, give the spoon to Tifa."

Elena hesitated a moment, then handed it over with a sigh. Tifa started on the wall while Elena glanced darkly at Reno.

"Asshole," she muttered.

"I heard that," Reno said.

"Good!" she snapped.

Thankfully, the fell silent after that. Cloud stayed near the bars now, watching for any hint of the Chadara. Tifa scrapped away until her hands began to cramp up, then passed the spoon on to Aeris. There was still no way to tell time, but Cloud suspected it was late at night. Elena had fallen asleep on one of the cots, and he could feel his own lids getting heavy. But he perked up immediately when he heard Aeris voice.

"I think it moved."

The others came over beside her immediately. She stood up, getting out of the way. Cloud bend down and pushed on the stone. He did feel it give a little bit.

"It's loose," he said excitedly.

He strained against it.

"C'mon, baby," he muttered.

At first the stone moved only an inch or two, but pushing alternately on each side slowly loosened it even more, and eventually, with a cracking of the remaining morter, the stone suddenly gave way, falling back to reveal a dark hole in the wall.

"We're through," Cloud said triumphantly and at bit anticlimactically.

Aeris woke up Elena while Cloud slipped through the hole. Inside he was surprised to see what was obviously an artificial tunnel. Water ran a few inched deep down the center of it. A strange growth on the lower part of the walls gave off a faint light.

"It looks like it's part of the sewer system," he said, sticking his head back through the hole again. "This is even better, cause we know there's got to be a way out now. Hurry up!"

The others quickly followed him through the hole. Reno was the last to go through, and had the hardest time. The hole was not large, and Reno, even though he was not exactly heavy, still could just barely squeeze through. If they had had Barret with them, he never would have made it.

But eventaully they were all standing in the tunnel.

"So which way now?" Tifa questioned.

"Pick a direction at random," Cloud said. "Just as long as we get far away from here."

"Let's go this way," Aeris suggested, pointing to the left.

No one disagreed and they ran down the tunnel. They didn't know how soon their escape might be noticed. It could be hours before the Chadara came back, or minutes. But Cloud figured the faster they got away from here, the better.

"Look for any way that leads up," Reno said,not very helpfully.

Cloud nodded but did not look back. The tunnels seemed to be a huge maze, and it was difficult keeping track of where they were going. Cloud had no idea how big this system was, but if it served the entire city, it was probably very big. They could wander around down here for a very long time without finding a way out.

They came to an intersection and halted.

"Which way?" Reno said.

Cloud shrugged. He looked down each tunnel, but they all seemed identical.

"Tolant!" Jinn said, pointing to the left.

Cloud looked at the others.

"Sounds good to me," he said, and started them down that way.

There were more twists and turns. The walls of the tunnel were curved, and he wondered if they were going around in circles. Damn, what he wouldn't give for a good compass right now. Of course, for all he knew, a compass might not work on this planet.

They suddenly emerged into a large chamber. Three other tunnels led into it. There was a pool of slimed filled water in the center of the room. But the thing that caught their immediate attention was a spiral metal staricase that let up into the ceiling.

"Think that's a way out?" Tifa questioned.

"Don't know," Cloud replied. "But it goes in the right direction."

He started over toward it, but even as he did so heard the sound of running feet, and three Chadara emerged from one of the other tunnels.

"Damn!" Cloud shouted. Without hesitation he charged right at them. All three of them had the rod like weapons. The one in front lifted his up and pointed it at Cloud.

"Cloud, watch out!" Tifa yelled.

There was a flash of blue light, but at the last second Cloud threw himself to the side and the bolt hit the ground harmlessly where he had stood a moment before. The Chadara fumbled with his weapon when he saw he had missed, pointing it at Cloud again, but it did not discharge. A moment later Cloud reached him. He kicked out, and the rod when flying across the room. Cloud dodged in and drove right into the stomach of the Chadara, sending him tumbling backwards, into his comrades.

The last one in line managed to remain on his feet. He fired a blast from his weapon, striking both Cloud and the Chadara he had run into. They both slumped to the ground.

The second Chadara lept to his feet, weapon ready as Tifa and Reno charged at him. He fired. Tifa threw herself to the ground, sliding underneath the shot. She heard Reno cry out. She looked back to see that he had taken the blast. She kicked out, taking the Chadara's feet from beneath him, and sending him sprawling to the ground again, and sending his weapon clattering away as well. She leaped to her feet, straight at the third Chadara, but the one on the ground suddenly reached out and grabbed hold of her leg, nearly dropping her to the floor once more. She turned and kicked it in the head, and it had the good sense to let go. She turned toward the third Chadara once more. But the delay had bought the third one time for it's weapon to recharge. She took only a step toward it when she was caught in the blast from it's weapon.

Elena was right behind Reno, protected from the shot that had taken him down. Now she rushed forward as she saw Tifa go down as well. She had seen from the other shots that it took a few moments for the Chadara weapon to recharge. She had to use that to her advantage.

She charged at the last one. It stood there for a moment, then suddenly lunged forward, using the rod like a club. She ducked underneath and punched the Chadara in the stomach. He stumbled back, but still held onto his weapon. She waded in with a quick combination of punches and kicks, sending the creature reeling back, but it stubbonly refused to drop it's weapon. It swung at her again, and she stepped back. Suddenly it turned the weapon around, pointing the business end at her.

She fell to the ground. But instead of firing the Chadara lunged forward, driving the weapon into her stomach. She cried out in pain and rolled to the side, realizing she had been tricked, the weapon was still not ready to fire. She turned to look up as the creature stepped back and leveled the weapon at her again.

There was a flash of blue light, and the Chadara fell to the ground.

Elena turned to see Aeris holding one of the rods. It took Elena a moment to catch her breath.

"Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome," Aeris replied.

Elena got up and they tended to the others. They had seen before that the weapon seemed to have no long lasting ill effects. In a few minutes all of them were back on their feet again.

The Chadara Aeris had shot started to stir. Reno picked up another of the rods and causually zapped it again.

"Was that really necessary?" Aeris said.

"I think so," Reno replied.

"Well, at least we've got some weapons now," Cloud said. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

The started once more for the spiral staircase. But suddenly something plunged out of a vent in the ceiling, right into the middle of the pool of water in the center of the room.

"What the hell?" Cloud exclaimed. They all turned to face the water, weapons ready. A figure stood up in the center of the pool, drippig wet with the greenish liquid that filled it, and started to cough.

"Reeve!" Aeris exclaimed.

Reeve stumbled to the edge of the pool of water, and Cloud and Reno reached down and hauled him out. They stood there looking at him in shock.

"What are you doing here?" Aeris said.

Reeve coughed some more, then managed to catch his breath. He looked down at himself, dripping wet and covered with slime, then up at the others.

"I'm here to rescue you!" he announced.


	23. The Tale of Olleson and Meredith

CHAPTER XXIII

THE TALE OF OLLESON AND MEREDITH

"Is it much further?"

"That's the third time you've asked that!" Barret snapped. "Damn, you're worse than a little kid! Think you could shut up for five minutes?"

"Oh Barret, shut up yourself," Yuffie returned, turning to stare at him. "Not everyone's as thick skinned as you, or as thick headed. It hasn't been five minutes, we've been riding through this desert for hours now in this blasted heat. I'm staved, when are we going to stop to have something to eat? And this stupid beast," she kicked at the chendu they were riding for empahsis, but the beast didn't even seem to notice, "seems more interested in chewing on grass than moving. It'll take us forever to get there at this rate. We could walk faster. My legs are chaffed and itchy from the fur on this thing, and I'm sure you didn't notice, but they smell disgusting!"

"What do you mean by that?" Barret said indignently.

"Figure it out for yourself," Tuffie retorted.

"Why the hell I ever got on this with you is beyond me," Barret muttered.

"Oh cut it out, you two," Zack called back to them. He and Roshnialu were on the lead chendu. There hadn't been enough of the beasts for them to ride individually. Rude and La Li were right behind them, with Barret and Yuffie next, and Cid and Amanda in the rear. "Roshnialu says we're almost there."

"That's what you told me she said the last time," Yuffie grumbled. "Can we at least stop to have something to eat. I'm going to waste away to nothing!"

"Don't do us any favors," Barret mumbled.

"What was that?" Yuffie said, turning to glare at him again.

"Nothing," he replied.

"All right, all right," Zack gave in. "We'll stop. It has been a while. But don't take too long, eveyrone. We're still not that far from the city. I don't want to be spotted."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Yuffie said.

Zack just shook his head. The desert around them consisted of rolling hills sparsly covered with the course grass and shrubs that seemed to be the only flora able to ekk out a living in this inhospitable enviornment.

Roshnialu brought their chendu to a halt.

"What? Right here? Out in the open?" Yuffie protested. She pointed over to the west, to a tumbled pile of rocks that formed a small hill. "Let's go over there. We'll probably be able to find some shade."

Zack and Roshnialu had already dismounted.

"First you want to stop, and now you don't?" Zack said dryly. "This is fine here. We can use the chendu's for shade."

Yuffie made a face.

"And have to put up with this smell. No thank you," she said. "Barert, let's go over there."

Barret slid off the beast behind her.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed.

"I'm tired," he said. "This seems like a fine spot to me. And as you so cleverly pointed out, I don't care about the smell."

"Barret!" she said angrily. "Get back on! I don't know how to make this thing go!"

"Just smack it in the rear with thst stick," he replied. "Now quit your yapping, or I'll use it on you."

"I'd like to see you try!" she exclaimed, but Barret ignored her challenge and sat down beside the others, who had also dismounted and were hunting through their packs for something to eat.

Yuffie sat there for a moment until she realized that Barret wasn't going to take up the challenge. Then she pulled the stick out that Barret had been using and smacked the chendu with it. It gave a bellow of protest and started forward so quickly it nearly unseated her.

"Damn!" she exclaimed. "That's the fastest I've seen this stupid thing move."

She glanced back at the others but none of them were paying any attention to her. Fine, she didn't care. Let them all sit there in the heat and stink. She'd find a nice comfortable spot in the shade. They could all suffer!

It took her a few moments to get the hang of controlling the chendu. It wasn't really all that diffiuclt, and she had been watching Barret do it. Soon she had it moving at it's normal ponderous pace towards the rocks They weren't far away, no more than a hundred meters from where the others had stopped, but as they approached, the chendu started to slow down and become hesitant. When she smacked it with the stick, it bellowed some more, but did not increae it's speed. Eventually, when the rocks were about thirty meters away, it stopped completely, and in spite of all her protests, refused to move.

"What the hell's the matter with you, you stupid thing?" she yelled at it. She looked back and saw Barret watching her. She could not see his expression from this distance, but she could picture a look of amusement on his face, at her expense.

"Urghh! I hate this planet!" she exclaimed. She looked down at the beast. "Fine, you don't want to move. The hell with you. I can walk faster anyway!"

She slipped down off the beast and started toward the rocks on foot.

Barret had indeed been watching her. He didn't like the idea of her scampering off by herself, even though she wasn't going very far. In spite of her being a pain in the ass, she was still one of them. When he saw her having trouble a smile did indeed appear on his face.

"Looks like she's having some difficulty riding that thing," he said with a chuckle.

The others looked up to see Yuffie get down from the chendu and start toward the rocks.

Roshinialu suddently stood up, talking rapidly, looking at Lai Li, who got to her feet as well, a look of concern on her face.

"Why did she get off?" Lai Li said, looking at Barret.

"The chendu refused to go any further," Barret said, a frown replacing the smile on his face.

Lai Li spoke to Roshnialu again, then looked back toward Yuffie.

"Stop her!" she said sharply. "Roshnialu says the chendu wouldn't stop without good reason. If it won't go there, there must be some danger."

"Yuffie!" Barret bellowed and they all ran toward her.

Yuffie turned around at the sound of the call to see the others all racing toward her. What the hell had gotten into them? Had they all suddenly decided that she had had a good idea after all? They were certainly being awfully enthusiastic about it all of a sudden.

She put her hands on her hips and glared at them. They were all shouting, and she had a feeling it wasn't because they were happy to see her. Abruptly Barret's deep voice rose above the rest.

"Yuffie, behind you!"

She spun around, her hand unconsciously slipping down to her shuriken. Six of the boulders, or what she had taken for boulders, were charging toward her.

She pulled out the conformer and threw it at the one closest to her. It hit the shell with a crack and bounced off, leaving the creature apparetly undamaged She knew she didn't have time to pull out any materia. She waited until the last second and then dived to the left. The creature's snapping jaw just missed her as it barreled by. She flung herself to the side once more as another nearly trampled her. On the ground now, she twisted round to see yet another one looming over her. As it's head lunged at her she kicked it in the jaw. It's claw swept out, tearing into her side and flinging her a meter through the air. The air rushed out of her lungs as she slammed into the ground.

Another one loomed up beside her, but then shrieked and backpedaled as a hale of bullets slammed into it. Most of them were deflected by the shell but a few found their mark on the creatures head and neck. It bellowed again and then collapsed to the ground.

Yuffie turned as the others came up to join the battle. Cid ran forward, thrusting with his spear at another one that was approaching Yuffie. The creature hunched over, ducking under it's shell, and the spear glanced harmlessly off it. The beast lunged forward again, and Cid had to scramble backwards to avoid the attack. Zack ran up beside him and slashed at the creatures exposed leg. Blood spurted from the wound and the cretaure turned to snap at him.

"The shell is impossible to penetrate," he yelled to the others. "You've got to get them on their underside."

"Easier said than done," Cid called out as he retrieved his spear.

Lai Li was not far behind Cid, looking over at Yuffie. She could hardly believe the young ninja had avoided the initial attack. She looked at the others fighting and wished there was something she could do to help, but she knew there was nothing she could do. She was not a fighter, and she had no weapon.

She hadn't realized how close she was to the battle. But suddenly one of the creatures turned and charged straight at her.

She saw it coming, like a raging locomotive, barreling right at her. She stood there, rooted in place. A million thoughts raced through her head, formost of which was the fact that she was about to die, but for the life of her, she couldn't get her feet to move.

Suddenly she was thrown to the ground. She cried out, but it was drowned out in the thunderous sound above her head. There was a blast of gunfire, and a roaring cry. She twisted round to find someone of top of her. She looked up to see Rude looking at her.

"You all right?" he questioned.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied. She saw that the sleeve of his suit had been torn, and blood discolored it.

"You're hurt!" she exclaimed.

He glanced at his shoulder.

"No time to worry about that," he said.

He pulled himself to his feet. Two of the creatures were now down, but the others were still full of fight. Barret was blasting away at one, while Zack hacked away at another one. He saw Amanda over by Yuffie. Two more of the creatures had just turned away from Cid, and were charging up behind Barret.

"Watch out," Rude yelled, firing rapidly at the beasts.

Yuffie had finaly gotten to her feet and was fumbling in her pouch for a materia. She looked up at Rude's shout and she too saw the two creatures, almost directly behind Barret now. She desperately pulled out one of her materia, knowing she wouldn't have a chance to cast the spell before the beasts were upon him.

She saw Barret start to turn around, his arm coming up to protect himself as the beasts bore down on him. But even as he did so, there was a flash of light and flames suddenly enveloped the creatures. Roaring in pain, they stumbled and Barret scrambled out of the way. Yuffie stood there, the materia still in her hand, then looked over at Amanda.

The creatures burned furiously, and soon the smell of their burnt flesh filled the air. Yuffie looked around, seeing that everyone was still standing.

"Everyone all right?" Zack questioned.

"Rude's hurt," Lai Li said.

Zack looked at Yuffie. She took out a cure materia and quickly used it on their injuries.

"Well, looks like we found their weakness," Barret observed, glancing at the still smoldering remains of the beasts. He turned toward the young ninja. "Thanks, Yuffie."

"Uh hmm," Yuffie replied absently. letting her pouch drop to her side once more.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," Zack said. "He turned to glare at Yuffie. "And next time, you stay with the group. Understand?"

His face showed he expected an argument, but all Yuffie said was; "Yes."

They all started back. As she walked Yuffie stared at Amanda, who seemed bent on not returning her gaze. Finally Yuffie put a hand on her shoulder.

"What?" Amanda quesitoned, still not looking at her.

"Hold on a minute, will you?" Yuffie said. She glanced at the others, who didn't seem to be paying any attention. "We have to talk."

Amanda just stood there looking uncomfortatble. She looked at the others as they walked away.

"Can't it wait?" she questioned. "C'mon, we're falling behind."

"No it can't!" Yuffie hissed.

Zack looked back at them and frowned.

"C'mon, you two. Hurry up."

"We're comin'" Yuffie retorted. "Don't worry about us, we're right behind you."

Zack looked at them a moment longer, then turned and walked on. Soon the others were out of earshot.

"How did you do that?" Yuffie demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Amanda replied, looking down at the ground.

"Don't lie to me!" Yuffie said angrily. "I saw you! You cast that spell, not me. And you don't have any materia. I saw your eyes, they glowed, like..like mako eyes. How did you do it?"

She stepped closer, staring at Amanda, who still refused to return her gaze.

"HOW?" Yuffie demanded, steppping closer still.

Amanda turned away from her. She wrapped her arms around herself and stood there, staring off into the desert for some time. Finally she slowly shook her head.

"I don't know."

Yuffie grabbed hold of her and turned her around, forcing Amanda to look at her.

"You don't know? You don't know??"

For a moment Yuffie seemed to be at a loss for words.

"How could you not know?" she choked out. "Do you realize what this means? You can cast spells, without the use of materia. Do you know what I would give to be able to do that?"

"Stop it!" Amanda cried out. She pulled herself free from Yuffie's grip and turned away from her again. Yuffie just stood there staring at her.

"What's with you?"

"I've always been able to do it," Amanda said slowly. "For as long as I can remember. They told me it was a gift. They told me I was special, that I was blessed."

"They told you?" Yuffie said. "Your captors? Was that why they were holding you?"

Amanda nodded.

"But it's not a gift," she continued. "It's a curse. All those years of experimentation, all those years being poked and prodded and studied. I had no friends, I had no life. No one was ever interested in me, it was always the gift, always my special powers they were interested in, that they wanted. It didn't make me special, it make me a freak. I would gladly give it to you if I could, Yuffie. I would gladly give it up to be just a normal person, just another girl. How I would have given anything to have a normal life..."

Amanda bowed her head. Yuffie came up beside her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't realize."

"It doesn't matter," Amanda said. "There's nothing anyone can do about it."

She shook her head, then wiped her eyes and looked at Yuffie.

"Please don't tell anyone about this. I don't want them to know. For the first time in my life people have been treating me like a normal person. You don't know how much that means to me."

Yuffie nodded.

"Of course."

They stood there for a moment looking at one another, then Amanda finally forced a smile.

"You okay now?" Yuffie asked.

Amanda nodded.

Yuffie looked back at the others.

"All right, then we better catch up before they start yelling at me again."

She trotted back the way she had come. Amanda followed more slowly, the smile disappering from her face as she looked at the others, as she looked at Barret. What had she done? It had been a perfect opportunity. Barret had not seen those creatures coming at him, had been defensless. It was quite possible they might have killed him, and all without her lifting a finger. No one would have know she could have helped, no one would have blamed her. The successful conclusion of her mission had been right in front of her. And yet she had probably saved his life. What was the matter with her? What was she thinking? Could it be that Ice was right, was she getting too close to them, was she too soft? Calin was depending on her, but all she seemed to be doing was making a muck of the whole thing.

For the first time she wondered when it really came down to it, could she do this thing?

She shook her head. She didn't know what to think anymore. She didn't know what was right or wrong. She didn't want to kill Barret, she realized that now. But what choice did she have? Maybe Ice was right and it had been a mistake to get this close to them. Now she wished that they had gotten someone else to do this job. But it was too late now. She couldn't go back, she couldn't tell them that she couldn't do it. She couldn't fail, not for Calin's sake nor her parents. No matter how she felt about it, no matter how distastful it might be to her, she had a mission that she had to complete. Calin was depending on her, she had to remember that and block out everything else. This was her first mission, she had to expect that it wouldn't be as easy as she had thought. She just had to work through it. There was still time. Yuffie had found out one of her secrets, but it didn't appear that would be harmful. She just had to be careful and use her head. One thing was for sure, if another opportunity arose, she must not pass it up!

* * *

"How did you find us?" Aeris asked.

"It's a long story," Reeve replied. "Luck, mostly."

He rocounted what had happened to him since he and Zack had started for the city. Aeris eyes filled with concern when he mentioned that Zack had been poisoned.

"Is he all right?" she asked.

"I don't know," Reeve replied. He looked down at the ground. "Vincent went to look for him. I never found out because I followed you here."

Aeris fell silent as Reeve continued his story.

"I snuck into town under cover of darkness, but I was spotted. I ended up hiding in the sewers. I kind of got lost down here, then ran into this huge ratlike creture. I jumped down that shaft to escape from it, and here I am."

"Some rescuer," Reno commented sarcastically.

"Oh leave him alone," Aeris said. "I think it was very brave."

Reeve did not respond. He looked at Cloud.

"So what do we do now?"

Cloud looked around for a moment.

"We get out of here," he replied. "I don't know if the guards have noticed our escape yet, but we know they were following you, so they're bound to be down here searching. The sooner we get out of here, the better."

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" Reno questioned impatiently.

"But what are we going to do about Reeve?" Aeris questioned.

"What about him?" Cloud asked.

"He's soaking wet. We can't leave him like that. We need to get him dry clothes."

"And where, praytell, to you expect us to find those?" Reno asked. "You think there's a menswear store down here in the sewers? Unless you'd like to take off your dress and give it to him. It'd probably fit," he looked Aeris up and down, "and I for one would not object."

"Oh Reno, shut up," Tifa cut in.

"I'm fine," Reeve said, looking darkly at Reno.

"Unfortunately, I think that's pretty low on our priorty list," Cloud said. "We'll find him dry clothes if we get the oppportunity, but they won't do him much good if we end up back in one of those cells. We've got to get out of here first."

Without another word he led them up the spiral staricase they had seen when they first entered the room. They went up carefully, weapons ready, but they met no one. It went up a long way, up four floors, before it terminated in a large room full of instruments that hummed softly. Cloud looked around.

"Looks like this might be the control center for the sewer pumps. Looks like it's fully automated."

"Good," Reeve said.

"On the other hand, whoever is running this joint might just be on their lunch break," Reno commented. "C'mon, let's move along."

Cloud gave him a sour look, but he was right. There were two doors out of the room. Cloud picked one at random and let them out. They followed a long corrider. They passed a few doors on either side. Cloud was hoping to find another staricase somewhere, but they came around a turn and the corridor ended abruptly with another door.

"Do you have any idea where you're going?" Reno asked.

"Of course he doesn't," Elena snapped. "What a stupid question."

This time it was Reno's turn to glare.

Cloud opened the door and walked through it, weapon ready. The others followed him in and looked around in wonder.

The room was large, and circular. There was a pile of broken furniture in the middle of the room. Cloud cuoldn't tell what it once must have been, but whatever it was, he had a feeling it hadn't been disturbed in a long time, in spite of the fact that no dust had gathered on it. But that wasn't what caught their attention. The walls around them were covered with some kind of painting. A landscape, seen from above, of a vast area. It covered the entire wall, completley surrounding them. And more than that, the room itself seemed to give off a distinct light. He immediately recognized it, for he had seen that light before, in Ifalnia.

"This place was built by the Cetra!" Aeris exclaimed, steppng forward and looking at the walls.

She turned and spoke to Jinn for a few moments.

"He says Daris was built on the remains of an old Cetra city. Some of the structures still stood, and were incorporated into the new city. He thinks we're safe here. None of the Chardara visit this area."

Cloud was looking at the painting carefully.

"This looks like a painting of the continent," he said. He walked over and pointed to a long line of mountains on the painting.

"Isn't this where we landed, and that the city we saw?"

Aeris spoke to Jinn again, then turned to Cloud and nodded.

"Uh huh," she said. "It looks like they painted a map of the area."

"It's beautiful," Tifa observed.

"So what do we do now?" Reno cut in. "Even if it's safe here, we can't stay here forever We've got to find a way out."

"I agree," Cloud replied. "But we can take a little breather. I don't think that would hurt."

Reno looked unhappy but said nothing. He turned and started to wander around the room. Most of the others sat down on what remained of the furniture.

"What was this place?" Tifa asked.

"I don't know," Aeris replied. She looked at the wreakage they were sitting on. "These look like the remains of shelves. Perhaps it was a library, or some kind of hall of records. No way to tell now."

Cloud looked around slowly.

"I wonder what happened to the books?"

"Probably destroyed by Jenova," Elena said.

Aeris nodded.

Cloud suddenly looked up.

"Aeris, ask Jinn if he knows anything about the shield generator."

Aeris nodded and spoke with Jinn for some time. Finally she turned back to the others.

He says he doesn't know anything about it. But there were rumors. There is a rhyme that every Certra learns at a young age. It was supposidly handed down from generation to generation from the time when the Cetra had fist arrived here. Supposidly it was very important, and rumor has it that it held some kind of clue, but no one he had ever spoken to knew what it meant."

"So, what is it?" Cloud said impatiently.

She spoke to Jinn again, and her eyes becoming thoughtful as they talked.

"Well?" Cloud said as he finished.

Aeris looked at him.

"It goes like this:

_To close the circle  
Take the sunlight stone  
to the eye of Aramus  
in the Valley of Everlasting Longing _

They all looked at Aeris.

"That doesn't rhyme," Cloud pointed out.

"Oh don't be so picky," Aeris exclaimed. "It does in Cetra."

"So what does it mean?" Cloud asked.

Aeris stood up without answering and walked over to the painting. She pointed to the city Cloud had pointed out.

"This is the city we landed near?" she quesitoned.

"I think so," Cloud replied, walking over beside her.

Aeris looked at the painting.

"So the city we are in now would be...where?"

"We went north," Cloud said. "So it would have to be...this, I guess."

Aeris stepped back, her eyes scanning the painting. She turned to Jinn and asked him something. He got up and came over. Aeris started pointing to features and Jinn named them for her. She went on for quite some time, the others all standing there wondering what the hell she was doing. Finally she stopped, apparently satisfied. She walked over to the painting again, a little farther away from them. She pointed to it and looked at the others.

"This is where we have to go," she said. "This is where the field generator is."

Cloud looked at her in surprise. The others must have felt the same way, for Reno came over as well.

"Now, hold on, back the truck up here a minute," Reno exclaimed. "How the hell did you figure that out?"

Tifa was just as surprised as the others, but she a double take when she saw Aeris expression. Was that a smirk on her face?

"It's kind of a long story," Aeris said. "It has to do with Cetra mythology."

"Mythology?" Reno said.

"Yes," Aeris continued. "Cetra mythology and the story of Olleson and Meredith."

"Oldlesson and Meredith?" Cloud repeated.

"Olleson," Aeris corrected.

"So spill it!" Elena said..

"A long time ago, there were two cities," Aeris began. "Olleson was the eldest son of the war counsellor of one of the cities. Meredith was the daugther of the king of the other. When they were growing up, the cities were friendly, and they often met each other at court. Eventaully, they fell in love."

"Before they could announce that love, however, a squabble started between the two cities, a squabble which eventaully led to war between them. Ollenson and Meredith were now enemies, and their fathers both told them to forget their feeling, for their love would never be consumated."

"But Olleaon and Meredith could not forget. No one was allowed across the boarder, and it was closely watched. If either of them had been caught doing so they would have been hanged as spies."

"But there was a certain grove of trees in the land between the two countries, a sacred grove, dedicated to Jamilai, the Goodess of fruitfullness and plenty. It was forbidden for anyone to enter that grove, but there were no guards there, for it was thought the wrath of the Goddess was reason enough to keep everyone away."

"Still, it being the only way for them to get together, Olleson and Meredith transgressed upon the grove. Night after night they met there, whenever they could both slip away without being seen. They didn't care about the consequences. They only wanted to be together."

"But keeping a secret meeting is difficult to hide from a Goddess, and eventually Jamilai discovered them. She confronted them in a rage, and Olleson and Meredith cowered in front of her."

"Being a Goddess, she could have killed them on the spot, but she decided that they would be more useful as a warning to others. So she set them in the sky, Olleson represented by the sun, Meredith by the moon. And there they circle, always following one another, but never able to meet, longing for one another, forever."

She stopped and looked at the others.

"Oh that's so sad," Tifa said.

"Actaully, the sun and the moon can sometimes be seen together during the day," Cloud observed.

"Well, maybe it's different on this world," Elena said.

"It's just a story," Aeris reminded them.

"Yeah, but you would think they would want it to be an accurate representation of the physical world," Cloud continued.

Tifa placed her hands on her hips.

"You know, sometimes I don't think you have a romantic bone in your body," she said.

"Can we get back to the subject at hand?" Reno interrrupted. "What the hell does this have to do with the generator?"

"I asked Jinn to name some of places on the painting. He told me one of them is called Meredith valley. Olleson and Meredith. Everlasting longing?"

Tifa's eyes widened.

"So you think that's what the rhyme means?"

"Yes," Aeris replied. "It's something that every Certra learns as a child. Or used to," she said, glancing over at Jinn. "And it's something Jenova would never know. It's a perfect clue."

"What about the Armasi thing?" Elena asked.

"Aramus," Aeris said. "He was the God of mountaintops."

"Mountaintops?" Reno said. "Just the tops? What, do you have a God of left hand turns in the river too?"

Cloud rolled his eyes.

"So, you think the generator is on a mountaintop in Meredith valley?' Reeve said.

"Yes," Aeris replied.

Cloud was studying the map.

"I don't know if this thing is to scale, but it looks like that valley is not too far from here."

He stepped closer to the painting.

"We'll have to go...northeast."

"So what are we waiting for?" Elena said.

"We still have to get out of here," Reno pointed out.

"Yes," Cloud agreed. He looked around at they others. They all seemed to be anxious to get on their way.

"Let's go," he said.

They left the room through a door opposite the one they had come in. Cloud led them down the hall, always keeping an eye out for stairs, as well as any Chadara. They walked for a long time, occasionally finding a staircase to go up, but still they saw no one. Cloud was grateful for that, and the fact that their were stairs at all. This place had probably been constructed by the Cetra or Jenova, beings that occasionally had a need for stairs, fortunately.

Eventaully they opened a door to see the darkness of night in front of them.

"Thank God," Elena stated.

They stepped out into the darkness and looked around. There was no one in sight, and the city seemed quiet around them. Off to the south they could see the glow of lights, but it was far enough away to leave them in darkness. Cloud was more concerned when he looked to the east, and saw the faint glow of light on the horizen that signaled the coming of day.

"We've got to get out of here fast," he said. "The sun will be up soon."

"I can see some hills in that direction," Reeve said, pointing to the northwest. "They don't look too far away."

"Let's go then," Cloud agreed.

He led them quickly away. They had weapons now, they could at least defend themselves. But they couldn't fight the entire city. It would be best if they could slip out without a fight.

Cloud wasn't sure how long it took, but eventually the buidings started to thin out and become scattered. They could see the hills clearly now in front of them. Reeve looked up at them, wondering if this was the exact place he had entered the town. They looked back, but saw no sign of pursuit.

They reached the foothills and faded away into them just as the morning sun broke over the city.


	24. The Cetra Base

CHAPTER XXIV

THE CETRA BASE

"There it is," Zack said.

"About time," Yuffie snorted.

The others ignored her. Below them lay a shallow valley, the ground covered with brambles and thorny bushes, more vegetation, in fact, then they had seen before. The chendu moved down the trailess slope, almost at a trot. It was faster than they ever moved before, in fact. Yuffie looked at the beast she was riding in surprise.

"What's gotten into them?" she questioned.

She heard Lai Li speak to Roshnialu, then turn toward her.

"They see food," Lai Li said, pointing to the ample vegetation.

Yuffie looked at the valley ahead of them and nodded.

"I should have know," she said. "So where's this Cetra base? I don't see anything."

Lai Li spoke to Roshnialu once again.

"It's there," Lai Li said, pointing ahead.

Yuffie looked ahead of them once more, but saw nothing that looked like a building.

"Where?" she questioned.

"Up ahead," Lai Li replied. "See those mounds. That's it."

Yuffie frowned. Lai Li was pointing at what looked to be three weed and bramble covered hills.

"Remember, they haven't been used in hundreds of years, perhaps longer," Lai Li reminded her. "They're all overgrown. Even Cetra achiteture doesn't last that long without some wear and tear."

Yuffie eyed the mounds dubiously.

"If it's been that long there probably won't be anything here of value at all. Why'd we even bother?"

"You got something better to do?" Barret snapped.

Yuffie made a face but did not reply. They had reached the valley bottom now, and the chendu's had slowed down again, their heads constantly dropping to one side or the other to pull up some choice plants. It became almost impossible to get them to go forward.

Finally Roshnialu said something and slid off of hers.

"She says we might as well leave the chendu here," Lai Li translated, getting off her beast as well. "The base is just ahead, we can walk the rest of the way."

The others obediently slipped off their chendu as well, Yuffie grumbling about how this would never happen with any decent kind of riding beast. They made their way over to the nearest mound.

"Jenova doesn't know about this place?" he questioned.

"They might have at one time," Lai Li responded. "But Roshnialu told me they haven't been here in her lifetime."

"Does she know what's in these things?" Cid questioned.

Lai Li posed the question to Roshnialu.

"No," Lai Li replied. "She's never been inside. Nor has anyone in years. There's a story that there's a huge underground complex, and that Chadara have gone in on occasion and never been seen again."

"Great," Yuffie muttered.

"Well, if they never came back out, how would they know that there's a huge underground complex in there?" Barret questioned.

Zack shrugged and pulled out his sword.

"Doesn't hurt to be cautious," he explained.

They reached the first mound and it became clear that underneath all the vegetation there really was a structure. Suprisingly intact, in fact. The Cetra had built things to last. They slowly made there way around the mound until they saw an opening. Roshnialu made to walk in but Zack stopped her, then, sword ready, went in himself first.

The others followed. They found themselves in a small vestibule, with openings leading off into other rooms. There was a table and chairs, still intact, though one chair was overturned, and everything was covered with a thick layer of dust. Though their were no windows, the walls still glowed faintly, giving off enough light for them to see by. The floor was covered with dust as well, and cracks could be seen in it.

"Nu Corte de," Roshnialu said, heading for one of the openings.

"Follow me," Lai Li stated.

They walked through a few more rooms, similar to the first, with nothing in them of interest. The came to another opening, and Zack saw that it was a stairway leading down.

Roshinialu started down without hesitation. Yuffie looked at the opening suspiciously.

"We're not going to go down there?"

Zack didn't even hesitate, but followed Roshnialu.

"Move along," Cid said, from behind Yuffie.

She glared at him for a moment, then followed the others as they walked down the stair.

There was a long corridor at the bottom, with openings on either side. They made there way slowly down the hallway, peering into the rooms as they went by, but most were empty.

They eventually came upon a room filled with what looked like some sort of machinery, as well as tables filled with what appeared to be laboratory instruments, all cast about randomly, with many items strew across the floor.

"This looks like some kind of research center," Lai Li stated.

"Umm," Zack responded.

He wandered around the room, looking at the instruments. He had no idea what any of them might be for. But then again, he wasn't a scientist, in fact, he had never been entirely comfortable in laboratories, even before Hojo had experimented on him.

The others were wandering around the room as well. Lai Li made a beeline for some dust covered books and papers scattered on one table. Cid had walked over and was looking over one of the instruments. He turned to the others.

"This looks like some kind of radio equipment."

Zack walked over to Lai Li, with Roshnialu and Rude right behind him. She was just opening one of the books. It looked like some kind of notebook. Zack was surprised to see that the pages still appeared to be in decent shape, and the writing, though faded, could still be made out.

"Can you read it?" Zack asked.

Lai Li did not answer for a moment, then shook her head.

"No, it's in Chadaran." She looked at Roshnialu and they echanged a few words.

"She can't read it either," Lai Li said. "It's an ancient form of the language. But it looks like it's the same form as was in the book we found in the cave. I think I may be able to translate it, or at least some of it, but it may take a while."

Zack looked around.

"Well, I guess we can take a break here. How long do you think it will take you?"

"For the whole thing?" Lai Li said. "A couple of days, probably."

"I don't think we can wait that long," Rude observed.

"Wait a minute," Yuffie cut in. "You think you can translate the entire notebook in a couple of days? How can you do that if you don't know the language?"

"I saw some of it in the book Ellengio has, although I wish I could have looked at it more. He did seem kind of possesive about it. But it was enough to give me an idea. I've always had a talent for this sort of thing."

"If you say so," Yuffie said skeptically.

"I'll do what I can now," Lai Li said. "We can bring the notebook along when we leave."

"All right," Zack agreed. "We'll take a little break here while Lai Li and Roshnialu take a look at these notes."

Yuffie walked over and plopped herself down on one of tables, looking incredibly bored. Amanda came over and sat beside her. Barret stood by the door, looking warily back te way they had come.

There was another doorway opposite the one they had come in. Zack walked over to it and looked in. The room also held laboratory equipment, though it was somewhat smaller than the one they were in.

He wasn't tired, and he had never liked standing around doing nothing. If there was something here, he wanted to find it now.

"I'm going to go take a look around," he said.

Barret looked over at him.

"Don't get lost."

"I won't be long," Zack replied.

He walked into the next room. He looked around slowly. This one had a number of small cages along the wall, all empty. There were more instruments in this room, but he didn't have anymore idea what they might have been for than the ones in the other room.

A soft footfall behind him made him turn around suddenly. He relaxed when he saw Roshnialu standing behind him.

"Oh, it's you," he said, lowering his sword and smiling. "What, come to keep me company?"

She did not reply, but came up and stood beside him. He didn't know why she had followed him, but it somehow eased his mind that she was there. He had been uneasy since the moment they had entered this place. Though he had seen nothing out of the ordinary his instincts had him on alert. There was something here that was not quite right, but he couldn't tell what it might be.

He continued through the room and into a hallway beyond, Roshnialu silently following. He saw another stariway leading down to the right. He walked over and glanced dow the steps, but saw nothing. He paused for a moment, then thought better of going down. He didn't want to get too far away from the others.

He walked further down the hall, passing more rooms on either side. He still could not shake the uneasy feeling. The hall turned twice, and each time he came to a corner, he gripped his sword just a little tighter, but each time the hallway was empty when he stepped around the turn. Finally he paused for a long moment to listen, but the corridors around him were absolutely silent. He examined the floor they were walking on. The thick covering of dust would have betrayed any feet that had passed by recently, but it was undisturbed. Every indication was that the complex had been completely deserted for many years.

Finally he stopped. The uneasy feeling would not go away, but it did not seem to be translating into a real threat. Perhaps he was just imagining things. They were on a strange planet, inside a complex not created by human hands. Was it so unlikely that in itself might make him uneasy?

He turned to Roshnialu.

"I guess we better go back."

She looked at him but said nothing. He retraced his steps, a simple matter with their footprints acting as a trail. So it was that his eyes grew wide with surprise when they came around a turn and found a dead end in front of them.

Zack looked at the wall in surprise. He was certain this was the way they had come. They had followed the hallway, and had not turned off to either side.

"What the hell?" he muttered.

He looked down and saw that their footprints were indeed there, seeming to appear right out of the wall.

"It must be a fake wall," he stateed.

He walked up to it and rapped on it. It felt and sounded quite solid. He pushed against it, but it didn't budge. He turned to Roshnialu.

"It must be some kind of trapdoor or semething. We must have triggered it somehow."

Rohsnialu was examining the wall nearby. She turned at his voice and looked at him, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Looks like you're as lost as I am on this one," he muttered.

He tried pushing harder, then kicking it and finally slamming his shoulder against it, but the wall rebuffed his every advance. He looked around for some sort of trigger mechinism, but saw nothing. The hallway was empty, with nothing on the floor or projecting from the walls.

"What is going on here," he said, anger and concern mixing in his voice. At first their prediciment seemed like an irritant, but now he was begining to realize just how serious this could be. They were trapped undergound with no way to tell which direction was which. If they couldn't get back the way they had come, they would have to find another way, and even if there was one, and there was no guarentee even of that, who knows how long it would take them to find it?

He looked at Roshnialu again. She walked back down the hall a bit and pointed down a corridor, then looked at him.

He stepped over to her.

"We didn't come that way," he said. The last thing he wanted to do was wander off even further. Not while there was still a chance they could get back the way they came.

"C'mon," he said suddenly, grabbing hold of her hand. He led them back the way he had come, until he reached the point where he had stopped, then retraced his steps yet again. Perhaps if they had triggered something, in the floor or whatever, if they walked over it again, it may reverse the process. It seemed a slim hope, but he couldn't think of anything else to try. But when they returned to the hallway they found it still blocked off.

Zack cursed and kicked the wall yet again. He stood there looking at it for a moment, as if he could open it by sheer force of will, but the wall did not budge.

Finally he folded his arms across his chest in exasperation. It appeared that no matter what they did they weren't going to be returning by that route. He was not anxious to try to find another route. It would be too easy to get lost, but it was becoming more and more apparent that that might be their only alternative.

He shook his head. That was the last thing he wanted to try, and he still had one more option before that, though he didn't think it would do much good.

He walked up right beside the wall.

"Cid, Barret, Yuffie, Anybody!!" he yelled as loud as he could. "Can ou hear me? We need help!"

* * *

A sudden humming sound made Yuffie look up.

"What's that?" she said, staring at the machine Cid was examining.

Cid just stood their for a moment, a look of surprise on his face. Then he turned toward her.

"It still works," he stated.

Barret walked over to stand beside him, taking an interest for the first time.

"Where's the power coming from?" he questioned.

"I don't know," Cid replied. "There must be some kind of generator somewhere in this place. Still, this must have been sitting here for a zillion years. I can't believe it still functions. Those Cetra sure know how to put together a piece of machinery."

Cid leaned forward and started fiddling with the dials.

"What are you doing?" Barret questioned.

"If I can get this to work," Cid replied slowly, "maybe we can contact Cait."

"Do you think you can?" Yuffie asked, coming up right behind him. He turned to look at them all.

"Back off a minute, will ya?" he snapped. "Can't ya give a guy a little room to work."

The others stepped back.

"Yeesh, what a grouch," Yuffie muttered.

Cid continued turning the dials and switches for quite some time.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Yuffie eventually ventured.

"Shut up," Cid grunted. He picked up a set of headphones and put one to his ear. "I think I've almost got it."

Yuffie did not look pleased, but she said nothing more.

"Cait, Cait, can you hear me, over," Cid said.

He fiddled with the dials again and repeated it.

He turned to look at them.

"Got 'em!"

"All right!" Barret said.

"Cait?" Cid continued. "Tell the others were not at the ship."

There was a short pause.

"That's right," Cid continued. "We had to abandon it. No, the Chadara found it. That's right. It's a long story. Where are you?"

Cid listened then nodded slowly. He turned to the others once more.

"They know where the generator is!" he said.

"Great!" Barret said.

"Uh huh," Cid continued. "Okay. No, not sure, but we can ask Roshnialu. Huh? Roshnialu. It's another long story. Tell Ellengio that he was right, or partially so. She's half Cetra. That's right. I know, hard to believe. Okay, we'll try to meet you..."

There was a crackling sound and a puff of smoke. Cid dropped the headphones and quickly turned some dials.

"What happened?" Barret asked.

"Somethings shorted out," Cid said. He pulled on of the panels off and looked inside. He poked around for a moment.

"Hmm. I think I see the problem, but I can't fix it with my hands."

He stood up.

"Yuffie," he said. "I saw some things that looked like they might be tools in a room when we were coming down the hall. Bring them to me, willya?"

"Why should I do it?" she questioned. "You've got legs."

"Yuffie.." he began.

"I'll get them," Amanda volunteered.

She ran out of the room. Cid turned back to the panel and continued to poke around inside. A few minutes later Amanda came back. He turned to look at her but she was empty handed.

"Couldn't you find them?" he asked.

"I...no, actaully I didn't see them at all," she said hesitantly.

"The second room back that we passed through," Cid said. "On the left. They were right in plain view."

Amanda shook her head.

"That's just it..." he said. "Maybe you better come look for yourself."

Cid frowned, then they all followed her as she walked back out the door, curious as to what she was talking about. She stopped in the doorway to the second room. Cid looked in and frowned. The room was empty.

"What the hell?" he muttered. "They were on a table, right there."

He pointed to the left. There were no tools in sight. In fact, there was no table.

"Did someone come and take them?" Barret questioned.

"And the table too?" Cid said doubtfully.

"No," Lai Li said, coming up beside them to peer in the room. "Look at the floor."

They all looked down. Barret frowned.

"I don't see anything," he said.

"Exactly," Lai Li replied. "Nothing. No footprints."

Cid's eyes widened. She was right. There were no footprints in the room. No sign that they had passed through it previously.

"Did someone wipe them out?" Barret said doubtfully.

Rude bent down and examined the floor. He shook his head.

"I don't think so," he said. He stood up and looked around, then turned to look at them. "We've never been in this room before."

"Huh?" Yuffie spoke up.

"This isn't the same room we passed through," he said.

"How could that be?" Barret questioned. "What, are you telling us the rooms are moving?"

Rude shook his head slowly.

"I don't know," he replied. "I can't think of any other explaination."

Cid looked around slowly.

"This place was built by the Cetra. Who knows what they were capable of. But why would they make the rooms move?"

They stood there in silence for a moment.

"Some kind of trap?" Yuffie suggested.

Cid shrugged.

"Mabye Roshnailu will know something," Barret said.

Cid looked back down the hallway. He had forgotten about Zack and Roshnialu. Where had they gone off too? If they wandered away, and the walls did move...

"We better go find them!" he exclaimed.

The trotted back down the corrider until they were once more in the radio room. Cid went to the opposite door, the one Zack and Roshnialu had left through. Their tracks in the hallway made an easy trail to follow.

"C'mon," he said to the others.

They followed the trail down the hall. It didn't go far. They made one turn before it ran into a dead end.

Cid walked up to the wall. Zack and Roshnialu's footprints appeared to walk right into it.

"Looks like this wall moved too," Cid said.

"Shit," Barret exclaimed.

Cid pushed against the wall, but it didn't move.

"Do you see any kind of mechanism?" he asked.

The others looked around for a few moments.

"No," Lai Li said finally.

"Damn," Cid muttered. He stood there for a few moments staring at the wall.

"So what do we do now?" Yuffie asked.

Cid shook his head.

"I have no idea."

"That really inspires confidence," Yuffie commented.

"I'm open to suggestions," Cid responded.

"It's like a maze," Amanda said.

"With movable walls," Barret replied. "That's cheating."

"Even so, there may be some pattern to it," Lai Li said.

"Maybe," Cid replied. "Think you can figure it out?"

Lai Li shrugged.

"Perhaps, but who knows how long it would take. In a normal maze, constantly turning in the same direction can often get you through. But this is no ordinary maze."

"You can say that again," Barret said. "And what are we supposed to do about Zack and Roshnialu? Even if we find a way out, we can't just leave them in here."

"I know," Cid replied. "But it doesn't look like we can do anything for them, now does it? Looks like our options are pretty narrow. Go back to the radioroom and hope that Zack or Roshnialu can figure this out, or wander around ourselves."

"If we start wandering around, we probably would not be able to find a way back here."

"I'm well aware of that," Cid said. "Which means if Zack and Roshnialu did find a way back here, they wouldn't be able to find us. A pretty fix we're in, I'd say."

"So I say again, what do we do?" Yuffie said.

Cid stood there pondering for quite some time.

"Let's go back to the radioroom," he decided. "We can rest there for awhile. If Zack and Roshnialu don't return, we'll have to try to get out on our own. If they can't get back, I'm afraid they're going to be on their own."

* * *

Zack folded his arms across his chest in frustration and leaned agains the wall. He didn't know how thick they were, or if it was just that no one was in earshot, but for whatever reason, no one was responding to his shouts.

"Damn," he muttered.

Roshnialu came up beside him and took hold of his hand.

"What is it?" he asked.

She led him back down the hallway and pointed at the side corrider she had singled out before.

"You want to go down there, don't you?" he said.

She looked at him and nodded toward the corridor again.

He looked down it for a moment. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it. She tugged on his arm. He hadn't really wanted to go wandering off at random, but it seemed as if they had no alternative. Besides, Roshnialu seemed pretty adamant. Perhaps she knew more than he realized.

"Is that a way out?" he questioned.

He gave in to her tugging and followed her as she led him down the hallway. They walked for some time, turning every now and then, seemingly at random, yet Roshnialu appeared to know exactly where she was going. Zack had given up trying to figure it out. They were now completely in her hands.

They turned down another hallway and Zack suddenly heard a thudding noise in front of them.

"Is that the others?" he said excitedly.

But Roshnialu had stopped dead in her tracks. She turned to look at him and he immediately drew his sword when he saw the expression on her face. Out of a room in front of them, a large clawed leg appeared, followed quickly by another, and then another. A moment latter a lerge hairly body squeezed itself out of the door, and Zack found himself face to face with a spider like creature that filled the corrider in front of them. He could see four bright red eyes staring at him, and below them fangs dripping with a yellow fluid. With a speed that belied it's bulk, the creature rushed toward them.

"Get back!" Zack shouted, stepping in front of Roshnialu, his sword poised in front of him.

Zack swung his sword, and one of the legs flew from the creature. Blood spattered, but he beast did not slow down. One of the legs lashed out, the claws on the end of it trying to pin him down, but he dodged out of the way and swung again. Another leg was clove in two. With a piercing hiss the creature snapped at him. He threw himself to the side, the fangs just missing him.

Another leg lashed out. The narrow corrider left him little room to manuver, and this one slammed into his side, sending him spinning and knocking him to the ground. The creature was on him in an instant. The dark bulk of it looming over him. He could see the red eyes staring down at him. Some of the yellow fluid dripped from it's fangs onto his leg, and he felt a burning sensation.

He swung his sword again, slashing against the underbelly of the creature. Blood poured out of the wound, but the creatures hide was thick, and he didn't seem to do much damage.

He turnd suddenly at the sound of a beastial cry. He looked in shock as Roshnialu leaped at the spider. Shocked not from her attack but the sudden change in her appearence. Her hair flew around her face, her eyes burning with fire, almost as if possessed. Her mouth contorted in a snarl of rage. She seemed to have been tranformed into a beast hereslf. She grabbed hold of one ot the creatures legs and snapped it off as if it were a twig. Blood spurted out of the wound, spashing across her, but she took no notice. She slammed into the creature like a pile driver, rocking it and nearly knocking it off it's remaining legs. The creature hissed again and turned toward her, snapping at her with it's fangs.

Zack sprang to his feet. Roshnialu's attack provided just the diversion he needed. The creature's head was right beside him, but focused on her. Without hesitation Zack drove his sword with all his strength right into the creatures neck.

The creature lunged backward, pulling the sword from his grasp. For a few moments it thrashed about wildely. Then it suddenly collapsed to the ground. They stood there watching it unitl the feeble movement of it's remaining legs stopped.

Zack walked over and pulled his sword out of the creatures neck. He looked at Roshnialu, who once again appeared as she always had.

"Thanks," he said. "Looks like there's more to you than meets the eye. Almost forgot you had that Chadara blood in you. Remind me never to get you angry."

He smiled at her. She took his hand again and pointed down the corrider.

"Yeah, I know," he said. "Let's get going."

The contuned on their way. Zack had his sword ready now, in case they ran into any more of those creatures. He wondered if it had just wandering in here or was left here deliberatly to take care of any trespassers. Didn't seem like something the Cetra would do, and anyway, how could it have survived all that time?

Roshinialu continued comfidently forward. By now Zack had no idea where they were, how to get back, or which direction they were going in. There was nothing he could do at this point but follow and hope that she knew what she was doing.

As they walked down another hall Zack's grip suddenly tightened on his weapon as he heard a noise ahead again. But then his uneasiness turned to excitement as the recognized the voices of his friends.

"Cid, Barret, Yuffie!" he called out.

He moved in front of Roshnialu, pulling her ahead now. In the corrider in front of them Yuffie suddenly stuck her head out of a doorway.

"It is them!" she called out.

The others rushed out as Zack and Roshnialu came up to them.

"How the hell did you find your way back?" Cid exclaimed.

"I don't know," Zack replied. "It was Roshnialu. She knew how to go, somehow."

Lai Li stepped forward and Roshnialu began talking to her quickly. It went on for some time.

"She says the Cetra part of her has a sense that can tell direction underground," Lai Li said finally. "Even with the room shifting she could tell which direction she had come from. She says she thinks the shifting rooms are protection for intruders. Only a Cetra would be able to navigate them."

"So she can get us out of here?" Yuffie said.

"Yes," La Lai replied.

"Good," Yuffie said. "So what are we waiting for?"

* * *

Cloud and his companions had slowly worked their way northeast throughout the day, steadily away from the city they had escaped from. With no supplies their situation would have have been dire, but Jinn knew the area, and was able to lead them to a small supply station on the outskirts of the city. There they mannaged to 'borrow' food, water, and a few basic needs. Nothing extravagent, but enough to keep them alive for a while. By the time the sun went down they were all exhausted. They made camp soon after nightfall in a shallow ravine below a promontary of rock, which they believed would keep them hidden from any prying eyes. As with most deserts, the light colored sands of Grouchoon absorbed very little of the sunlight that fell on it during the day. As a result, when the sun went down it cooled rapidly. Tempertuares of almost a hundred degrees could swiftly drop to near freezing. They had started a fire as the night grew colder, and now they huddled around it, wrapped in blankets. Jinn had fallen quickly asleep, and Cloud saw Tifa looking at him with odd expression.

"What?" he said, looking at her.

She turned toward him, startled out of her musing.

"Oh, nothing," she said. "I was just...it's funny, he looks a lot like you."

"You mean Jinn?" Cloud said in surprise, looking at the sleeping figure of the young blonde boy. "No way."

"Yes," she replied. "Not exactly the same. His hair isn't as spiky. But a definite resemblance."

Aeris smiled and looked over at the boy.

"How cute, a little Cloud," she said.

"He doesn't look that much like me," Cloud protested, slightly embarrased.

"Cloud, have you been sowing your wild oats on other planets?" Reno questioned.

"Not likely," Cloud responded.

Now they had caught Reeve's attention as well.

"Kinda a preview of what your own kids will look like," he said.

"Yeah," Elena added. "When are we going to see some little Cloud's running around?"

"One's bad enough," Reno muttered.

"So have you thought of a name?" Aeris said.

Tifa and Cloud just looked at one another.

"Cirrus, Stratus, Cumulus," Reno suggested.

"Hey, hold your horses," Cloud said defenisvely. "We're not even married yet!"

"Yeah, there's no rush on that," Tifa added quickly.

"You mean you haven't even thought about it?" Elena pressed.

"No," Cloud said immediately.

"Not really," Tifa replied more slowly.

The fire crackled in the dark, and the others fell silent. A fact for which Tifa was grateful, as this wasn't really a topic she was comfortable discussing.

"Well, we seem to have gotten away, hard as it may be to believe," Reno said after a while, lounging with his feet almost in the fire. "So what do we do now?"

Cloud tossed another small branch on the blaze.

"Well, we know where the generator is now," he said thoughtfully.

"If Aeris is guessing correctly," Reno reminded him.

"I'm sure of it," Aeris said firmly.

Reno still looked doubtful, but said nothing.

"It sounds to me like you're planning on us going there," Reeve said. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

Cloud looked at him.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, we don't have the crystal materia. Ellengio does. Without it we can't turn on the generator. Don't you think it would be wiser to return to the others. To let them know we've found it?"

"As Reno was so quick to pont out, we're not sure we've found it," Cloud replied. "I'm not sure I want to go back and bring them all to this valley only to find out it's a wild goose chase. Besides, we've have to go back towards the city to return the way we came. I don't want to risk getting captured again."

"Well, we've got to back eventually," Reno commented.

"I know, but if we find the valley first, maybe things'll have calmed down by the time we return."

"So you'd rather just head off into unknown territory," Reno stated. "Sounds pretty reckless to me."

"Since when did that matter to you?" Cloud said caustically. "And it's not unknown territory. We saw it on that map."

"On that painting, you mean," Reno corrected. "It wasn't a map. We don't know how accurate it was. For all we know, this Meredith valley could be a hundred miles away."

"Aeris said Jinn told her it wasn't that far," Tifa interjected, glancing over at the young boy.

Aeris nodded.

"That's right. He said it was only a couple of days travel."

"He's a kid," Reno replied. "He's been locked up for who knows how long. I'm not sure we can put much faith in what he tells us. And I don't think we'll have a problem getting by the town. We just won't get too close."

"So we'll have to go even farther out of our way," Cloud responded. "Besides, it would take us days to get back on foot."

"Those creatures we rode didn't go much faster than a man walking anyway," Reno pointed out. "I think we should go back."

"What makes you think we're interested in your opinion to begin with?" Cloud shot back.

Reno sat up and glared at him.

"He we go again," he snapped. "The great commander speaks and we're just supposed to follow blindly. Well, you may have your cronies from Avalanche trained to do that, but that doesn't mean we're all going to listen."

"Oh shut up, Reno," Cloud declared, getting angry in turn. "We all know you're going to argue with any decision we make just because you're a jerk."

"We?" Reno said. "I don't think WE made any decision. The only person we've heard from is you. I'm kind of interested in what everyone else thinks."

He looked over at Reeve.

"How about you?"

Reeve looked uncomfortable.

"To tell you the truth, I think it would be prudent to go back," he said. "But if the majority says we go on, I'll come along. I don't think it's a good idea for us to split up."

"When did this suddenly become a democracy?" Cloud questioned.

"I thought it always was," Elena cut in.

Cloud gave them a sour look.

"We can't be debating every move we make," he said. "If things get dangerous there must be someone in charge. We've got to have a leader."

"So who elected you?" Reno questioned.

"You want to take a vote?" Cloud challenged.

Reno looked around slowly.

"No point in that. You've already got them all brainwashed. Except for maybe Elena here. I just don't get how they can come up with you as a leader. You wandered around following Sephiroth, flipping out and getting your ass kicked, and finally by dumb luck you manged to beat him and they all think you're wonderful. Well, I got news for you. Dumb luck isn't going to help you this time. It's not just Sephiroth we're up against, it's a whole planet full of Jenova. We make one stupid move and we're all going to wind up dead."

"So you think you can do better?" Cloud said.

"Of course," Reno replied.

"Yeah, right," Cloud exclaimed, standing up. "To tell you the truth, I've had just about enough of you."

Reno eyed him but did not move.

"Oh sit down before I kick your ass again," he stated dismissively.

"Again!" Cloud exclaimed. "I was beating the crap out of you last time."

Reno looked and him and slowly got up himself.

"Sure. Seems like you have a rather muddied recollection of the event. The truth is I would have wiped the floor with you if your friends hadn't stopped us."

Cloud took a menacing step forward.

"Reno, I..."

"Oh stop it," Tifa cut in, getting up herself. "Before I kick both your asses."

"You stay out of this!" Cloud said, glancing over at her.

Tifa stepped between them.

"No I won't stay out of this, Cloud Strife!" she said angrily, looking right at Cloud. "You're both acting like little kids. Do I have to remind you of what Ellengio said? We've got a mission to perform, and we don't have time for any petty squabbling between you two. Now sit down and shut up or we'll leave you both behind!"

Cloud stood there, obviously unwilling to back down. She took a step toward him, staring at him, her fists clenched. Finally he sighed and shook his head.

"He started it," he mumbled petulantly.

"Oh cut it out," Tifa said.

"Fine," Cloud said. "But I'm not going to stand around here and listen to his crap."

With that he turned and walked away.

"Sensitive little fellow, isn't he?" Reno commented.

Tifa immediately swiveled toward him.

"You too," she said.

Reno just smiled at her.

"Do you realize how cute you look when you're mad?"

Tifa frowned and stepped toward him, raising her fists threateningly. Reno immediately dropped to the ground, raising his own hands defensively.

"All right, all right," he conceded. "Sheez, can't you take a joke? You know, you were a lot nicer on the southern continient."

Tifa stared at him for a moment.

"What are you talking about?" she said. "I nearly beat the stuffing out of you then too."

Reno smirked.

"C'mon. Your boyfriends not in earshot anymore. I know we promised not to say anything, but no one else will tell."

"What?" she said angrily. "Tell what? There's nothing to tell."

Reno looked at her knowingly.

"Aww c'mon. You can't tell me you're forgotten about our little skinny dipping foray in that pond. And you told me yourself that you'd never forget that night we spent in the hotel room."

Tifa's jaw dropped.

"Reno, you are such a jerk!" she exclaimed, looking at the others nerviously. "We didn't go in the pond together. Although you tried your damndest, you didn't see a thing."

Reno looked at her smugly.

"Are you sure?"

Tifa clenched her fists.

"RenoooO!"

"Even if I didn't," he continued. "It didn't matter after you threw yourself at me like that in the hotel room."

Tifa looked around, shocked.

"Can you believe this guy?" she asked. "Reno, the only thing that happened in the hotel room was you drugged me!"

"Aw c'mon Teef," Reno said calmly. "You don't have to lie in front of them. I'm talking about before that, when you tore off your clothes and attacked me."

Tifa put her hands on her hips and looked at him indignently.

"You are such a liar," she eclaimed. "I wouldn't do that with you if you were the last man on earth."

"Oh really?" Reno said, looking at her slyly. "Then how do you explain the fact I know about that birthmark on your right thigh?"

Tifa's eyes widened and she flushed crimson. Suddely she lunged forward and grabbed hold of his collar.

"How do you know about that??" she shouted.

Reno cringed.

"I toldya..." he began.

"Don't lie!" Tifa snarled, her eyes blazing.

"All right," he said. "I saw it after I drugged you," he admited.

"After you...what, were you looking up my skirt?"

Reno just looked heavenward.

Tifa shook him violently.

"What else did you see??" she demanded.

"Well...I..."

She grabbed hold of his neck.

"Why you...!!" she shouted.

Suddenly Aeris came up beside her and pulled her away.

"Calm down Tifa," she said placatingly. "We all know he's a lair. He's a worm but he wouldn't do anything like that. Would you Reno?"

Reno looked at them for a minute, then shook his head. He waited until he caught Tifa's eye and winked.

"Urgh!" Tifa exclaimed. She broke out of Aeris grip and stomped away. She glanced back at Reno again, looking daggers at him, but he was talking with the others now. She walked into the darkness, but didn' get very far when she saw Cloud sitting on a rock, looking at her.

"What was that all about?" he questioned.

"Nothing," she said. "That Reno is such a jerk."

She kicked a smiall rock and sent it spinning across the desert floor for emphasis. Then she ploppped herself down beside Cloud. He sat there looking at her for a moment.

"Remember when I had that fight with him?" Cloud said. "And afterwards you told me how immature I was acting and not to let it get to me?"

She did not reply. He leaned closer and looked at her face.

"Hmm?"

She glared at him.

"Oh shut up!" she grumbled.


	25. The Heat Is On

CHAPTER XXV

THE HEAT IS ON

"How much futher do you think it is?" Altim questioned.

He was shading his eyes, looking at the plain ahead of them. A plain that seemed to go on and on forever into the distance. To the left a low ling of mountains seemed to have been escorting them on their way all day long, but ahead he could see nothing but a few straggled plants amid the cracked earth and sand.

"No way to be sure," Ellengio replied. "Rono said about two days travel."

Altim said nothing more, the look on his face making it unnecessary. Ellengio looked down at the chendu he was riding as Red and Nipala padded up beside him.

"If only we could make these blasted beasts go faster," Ellengio muttered.

"Slow does seem to be their only speed," Red observed.

"I don't even know why we bother riding them," Altim spoke up once again. "We could go faster on foot."

"Maybe for a while," Ellengio replied. "They do seem slow, but they never seem to get tired. And they do save us the energy it would take to walk ourselves. We'd be exhausted by now if we had to hike on foot all this way in this heat."

He glanced at Red and Nipala, who seemd perfectly comfortable walking along beside them.

"Unfortunately we human types don't have the stamina of you two."

Red nodded but did not reply.

"We're lucky to have the beasts," they heard Vincent's voice from the back. The Chadara had practically forced them to take the beasts when they had left the city. They rode in single file, with Ellengio at the head, followed by Atlim, then Cait, and then Vincent bringing up the rear. Red and Nipalat trotted along beside them, having refused to even attempt to ride, saying their four legs would let them keep up just fine. Altim wondered if they knew just how lucky they were.

"Yeah, real lucky," Altim stated. "I admit they may be useful, but I"m not sure it's worth it. It wouldn't even be so bad if they didn't stink so!"

Ellengio nodded ruefully. The creatures did seem to give of a particularly foul odor. He reached down and rubbed his hand agianst the back of the beast he was riding. He lifted and looked at it.

"Their skin seems to have a waxy coating on it," Ellengio stated. "I think that's what smells so bad."

"Well, whatever it is, I wish could find some way to get rid of it," Altim said disgustedly. "I think the smell is going to be in my nostrils forever."

"My guess is the coating serves some purpose," Red surmised. "Maybe it protects them from the heat somehow. It would be interesting to examine it more closely."

Altim made a face.

"Great, they sweat and you want to keep it."

"Are those storm clouds to the west?" Vincent questioned.

They all turned to the left, looking up at the sky above the mountaiins. They could all see a wall of dark clouds creepiing up the horizen at a rapid rate.

Ellengio shaded his eyes and stared at them.

"It certainly looks that way," he said. "I wasn't sure this planet even had storms. They seem to headed in our direction. I wonder if we'll be getting some rain."

"That would be something, now wouldn't it?" Cait stated.

"Are you sure?" Altim said doubtfully. "I was under the impression it never rained here."

Ellengio shrugged.

"We don't know for sure," he replied. "They look like storm clouds, but this isn't our planet. They might not carry any rain at all for all we know."

"Well, I hope they do," Nipala spoke up. "It would a pleasure with all this heat."

Ellengio looked down at the two. They did not seem to be suffering as much as the others. Red's kind came from the desert regions of Cosmo Canyon, and had been bred to tolerate the heat, though not on this scale. He hadn't thought it bothered them.

"I wouldn't mind a little rain myself," was all he said.

They rode on. The ground around them was almost perfectly flat. The earth cracked and flaky in most places. There was very little vegetation, and it seemed this area was the most inhospitable they had seen since they had arrived here. Ellengio kept his eyes on the clouds as they progressed. The dark mass moved inexorably toward them, the movement plainly visible. The clouds must have been moving very fast.

The chendu seemed to be going even slower than ever. They kept turning to look to the west, bellowing every now and then. Ellengio frowned as he watched their behavior. The storm seemed to make them uneasy. Was that because there were so few here, or did they have a more substantial reason to be upset?

"The chendu are nervous," Vincent stated.

"I see," Ellengio replied.

They had been traveling straight north, but now he turned and led them more to the west, toward the long line of mountains. His eyes scanned the plan, but he saw no sign of anything that could offer them some shelter, just in case they might need it. There might be something closer to the mountains.

The clouds rolled closer above them, covering the sun. At first they felt grateful for the shade. But it didn't really seem to make it that much cooler. In fact, Ellengio found he as sweating more than ever. The air had been dry, and what little breeze there had been had evaporated their sweat and cooled them. But the moisture content of the air must have gone way up in just the last hour. Now it almost seemed as if they were walking through a sauna. The sweat beaded on his brow now and did not evaporate, but instead dripped down his forehead until he reached up and wiped it off on his sleeve. The wind was still there, had picked up in fact, but now it was blowing from the west, and was so hot it it was almost painful to breathe it.

"I am feeling very uncomfortable," Vincent stated calmly.

"I think I'm going to die!" Altim said more realistically, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"I don't like this at all," Ellengio said.

The clouds were almost right over them now. To the west the sky was black with them. The odd thing was, there was no thunder or ligtning. Almost no sound at all, in fact, just the faint whisper of the breeze. Somehow that made it seem even more ominous.

"I wish it would start raining!" Altim exclaimed.

Ellengio looked up, thinking exactly the same thing. The clouds were overhead now, and if this were their own planet, they would probably be getting deluged by now. But here, who knew? There might be no rain in those clouds at all. It might just be a windstorm, or even nothing at all.

The chendu abruptly stopped dead.

Ellengio spurred it on for a moment, smacking it with the riding stick, but it refused to budge. He looked at the others and saw they were in the same predicament.

"What's wrong with these things?" Cait exclaimed.

Ellengio shook his head.

"I don't know."

Vincent slid down off his and looked up at the sky.

"I have a feeling they know something we don't."

"But what?" Altim said. "Even if we get a little rain, even if we get a lot of rain. What's the worst that could happen?"

A moment later a drop of water splashed into the fur of the chendu he was atop.

"It's starting," he said. "Maybe they just don't like to walk in the rain."

He lifted his head to look up. A drop hit him in the face and he turned his head away, crying out and wiping his hand across his face.

"Owww," he yelled. "It's hot!"

The others just looked at him for a moment. Then another drop landed on Vincent's hand. He snatched it back and quickly wiped if off. He loked at his hand and saw a red mark where the drop had landed.

He heard a hiss from Red and saw him shaking his head violently.

"The rain is scalding hot!" Vincent said.

"How can that be?" Nipala said, jumping jitteringly back and forth on her feet.

"Not sure. It must be pasisng through some kind of layer of superheated air," Red mused.

"But wouldn't the superheated air rise?" Cait questioned.

"Who cares!" Altim interrupted. "It's coming down harder. We've got to find some shelter!"

"Well there's no place out here," Cait stated, looking around. "Maybe there's someplace closer to the mountains."

"There are some rocks over there, perhaps they will provide some cover," Vincent pointed to the west.

The others all slid off their mounts. Altim immediatly started off.

"Hold on," Ellengio commanded. He loosened the harness and pulled the course blanket that protected the chendu from underneath it. He turned and flung it on top of Nipala. "Take anything you can that will offer some protection."

The rain was hot enough to burn exposed flesh, but even a thin layer of clothing offered enough protection to prevent them from being damaged, at least, at the rate the rain was coming down at the moment. Ellengio had no idea if even their clothing would protect them if it started to come down harder, and looking up at the ever darkening sky, he thought that quite likely.

"Hurry up!" Altim shouted. He had already pulled the blanket off his chendu and was pacing nervously. The rainfall was steadily increasing. Even with the protection, their seemed no way to keep some rain from hitting exposed skin. The air around them seemed to be filled with steam, and they could barely make out the rocks that Vincent had pointed out only moments before.

Cait had pulled the last blanket off the chendu and wrapped it akwardly around Red.

"Let's go!" Ellengio said.

"What about the chendu?" Nipala questioned.

Ellengio paused for a second.

"They'll have to take care of themselves," he said.

"If they're too stupid to get out of this, it's their own fault!" Altim stated.

Seeing that they were all ready he started off again, running quickly toward the rocks. The others followed more slowly. There was no way to fasten the blankets around Red and Nipala, so Vincent and Ellengio ran beside them, holding the blanket's over them as best they could. But it was awkward and they couldn't go very fast. By now the rain was coming down heavily around them. The air was filled with steam and puddles were forming on the ground.

"Weird freaking weather," Vincent observed.

Ellengio looked down at Red and Nipala, splashing through the puddles with no protection on their feet.

"Are you all rigtht?" he questioned.

Red nodded.

"Our fur is providing some protection," he replied. "And our paws have heavy pads on them. It's somewhat painful, but we can bear it."

Red looked ahead, squinting in the steamy heat. The worst part was that occasionly a drop of water would get in his eye, which was very painful, but they had to see where they were going. Not that it helped much, for in the steamy air they could now barely see a few feet in front of them. The rocks they had seen were completely hidden from view, and the chendu behind them as well. They were running on a featureless plain, with no landmarks. For all he knew they could be going in a totally wrong direction by now.

"We can't go on like this," he said. "We don't even know if we're going in the right direciton."

"What choice do we have?" Altim called back from ahead of them. They could barely make him out in the foggy air, but he seemed to have slowed down and was looking around as he walked, plainly unsure of the direction.

"Are we going the right way?" Nipala asked fearfully.

Ellengio looked ahead of them.

"I'm not sure," he said hesitantly. Usually his sense of direction was unneering, but now he wasn't sure. The rain seems to be confusing him somehow.

Ahead of them Altim came to a halt, looking around, obviously at a loss.

"This is foolish," Red muttered. "It's insane to go running around in this without any idea where we're were going."

"You got a better idea?" Vincent questioned.

Red shook his head. There didn't seem much they could do but stand there and suffer. On this open plain there was no shelter. It would have been wiser now, he realized, to have skirted along the mountains instead of striking out onto the exposed plain. But how could they have known? It was a new planet to them, they were bound to make mistakes. Was this mistake going to result in their slowly being roasted out in the middle of nowhere?

"We have to do something!" Altim exclaimed, fear plain in his voice. "I can barely breathe."

"Why didn't Rono warn us about this?" Cait said plaintitively.

"They probably assumed we already knew," Red replied."It this was an ordinarly occurance, and he no reason to believe otherwise, Rono probably had not even thought about it. It would be like reminding someone on our planet not to go out in a hurricane."

Red looked around again. The rain was coming down hard now. All of their clothing was soaked, and though it still offered protection, they were all almost unbearably uncomfortable. And suddenly a thought came to him. If this were a comon occurance, perhaps the life here had acclimated to it.

He hadn't noticed at the time, but now he realized the chendu had seem totally unconcerned by the rain. They had just stood there, seeming in no discomfort, even after Ellengio and the others had removed the blankets from them. They had all assumed the beasts were too stupid to realize what was happening, but did that really make any sense? If the rain damaged them and they just stood there, it seemed unlikely that any would still be around. That didn't seem like a particularly valuable survival trait.

"We have to go back," he said suddenly.

"Huh?" Cait questioned.

"We have to go back to the chendu," he said firmly.

"What are you talking about?" Altim said. "Those stupid things didn't even know enough to find shelter."

"Do you think there's any shelter out here large enough to hold them?" Red questioned. "No, most of this continent is made up of open plain, with almost no shelter. If we assume this rain is a common meterological feature, then they must have some protection against it."

Without waiting to argue anymore the turned around and headed back as best as he could determine. Ellengio, holding the blanket against him, had no choice but to go along. The others stood there for a moment, then followed.

They could not see the chendu, but Red was sure they hadn't gone very far. Hopefully they would be able to find them again. He didn't think much of their chances if they didn't.

They made their way back as best they could. The rain was a steady downpour now. Even though they were all well covered the water still seemed to find it's way to their skin, slipping under hood and blanket and into the smallest uncovered area betwen their garments. There were puddles everywhere now, and the water splashed up and over their shoes, and in spite of the padding on their paws, Ellengio could see both Red and Nipala were having difficutly walking. The water seemed to form a permaent mist all around them, and their breath came in painful ragged gasps.

"How far away are they?" Vincent questioned, somehow his voice still sounding calm.

"I don't know," Red said. But even as he did so, Altim, who had slipped into the lead once again, spoke.

"There they are!"

Red looked ahead and saw the dim forms of the beasts shimmer into view in front of them. The chendu stood just as they had left them, umoving in the rain, heads down, but apparently unaffected. The beasts made no motion as they came up beside them. Red noticed that their eyes were closed. He stood beside one, examining it for a moment. Coarse hair covered almost it's entire body, but there were a few exposed spots, mostly on it's underside and it's face. Red noticed that the waxy residue seemed to be thickest in those spots. He wiped some off with his paw and immediatly felt the pain and heat lessen.

"This coating seems to offer some protection," he said.

Ellengio looked at him for a moment, then wiped his hand along the chendu as well. He rubbed his hands together then held them out in the rain.

"He's right!" he exclaimed. "This gunk they're coated with protects them from the heat. Everyone smear it on any exposed skin. The chendu seem to have more than enough."

None of them looked too pleased with the idea.

Altim ran a finger along the side of one of the chendu, then looked at it with a frown on his face.

"This stuff?" he said distastefully.

"Yes!" Ellengio said firmly, already wiping his hand on the underside of the beast, which seemed to have the greatest concentration of the coating.

Somewhat reluctantly the others followed suit. Altim grimaced as he rubbed some of it on his hands.

"Oh this is deisgusting!" he muttered.

"I couldn't agree more," Ellengio said, the smell nearly making him choke as he smeared some on his face.

"I think I'd rather die," he heard Nipala mumble.

Despite their groanings, eventually everyone was covered with the waxy residue.

"So what do we do now?" Altim said unhappily.

Red shrugged. The rain was still coming down heavily, and stung their eyes, the only exposed part of them still not covered. He looked at the chendu, thinking undoubtably that was why they had their eyes closed too. In fact, now that he thought about it, that was probably why they had stopped in the first place. He was begining to have a new appreciation for the beasts.

"We wait," he said.

There was more grumbling, but Red was right, there wasn't much else for them to do. They were still very uncomfortable, and their chest's still hurt from the heat of the air being taken into their lungs, but it was bearable. The rain had turned from something life threatening into a mere inconvenience.

It was more than an hour later that the rain finally began to taper off. The clouds that had rolled overhead moved off to the east, and the sun broke through, beating down on them with undimished force. The steamy air cleared up, and the water on the ground quickly began to evaporate in the late afternoon sun. The chendu lifted their heads, and one of them bellowed mournfully.

"Looks like our mounts are ready once again," Vincent stated.

"Bout time," Cait grumbled.

They remounted the chendu, who started on their way again without protest. They resumed their usual line ahead formation. Red walked along beside Ellengio up front.

"That was good thinking Red," Ellengio said.

Red just nodded.

"We've got to be careful," Ellengio continued. "Wandering around on a strange planet like this, it's surprising we didn't run into something like this sooner. In fact, if you think about it, it's a wonder we're still alive at all. Almost anything we run into could be deadly, and we may not even know until it's too late. I suspect we've been mighty lucky to have even made it this far. What I wouldn't give to have a guide."

Red's head bobbed up and down in agreement.

"Considering that we're wandering around pretty much clueless, I think you're right," Red said. "But there's nothing we can do about it. In hindsight it's easy to say we should have stuck closer to the mountains, or paid more attention to the chendu. But I don't think there really was anything we could have done to anticipate that. Whatever happened,we survived it, and that's the important thing."

"True," Ellngio said thoguhtfully. "But that doesn't mean we will the next time. And given our lack of knowlegde about this planet, it seems almost certain there will be a next time. I think the sooner we get to Meredith valley, the better off we will be."

"How much farther is it?" Red questioned.

Ellengio looked ahead.

"Not sure exactly, hard to judge distances when you used a pile of sand as a map. The valley is in the wilderness, the chadara don't have any reason to go there, but they estimated it was about a two day trip, so hopefully we'll get there some time tomorrow."

They fell silent. The chendu plodded onward, the ground slowly being eaten up under their feet. The plain around them was almost utterly featureless. The long line of mountains could still be seen to the left, but it went on for as far as the eye could see, never ending, never changing. With no reference points to judge, it almost seemed as if the they were not moving at all.

The sun had dropped near the horizen when that changed. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a narrow canyon appeared in front of them. It cut right across their path, a jagged rent in the earth, as if gouged out with a gigantic knife. They found themselves looking down a sheer rock face, hundreds of feet deep. It was not very wide, perhaps no more than a hundred meters, but it might as well have been miles.

They dismounted and looked back and forth at the crevass in front of them. It seemed to go on for as far as the eye could see to the east and west.

"Great," Nipala said. "How are we supposed to get across this?"

Ellengio shook his head.

"If we try to go around, it will take us hours out of our way, maybe longer. We have no idea how far this canyon goes. For all we know it could end a few miles to the east, or west, or it go on and on."

No one spoke for some time. Vincent came forward and stood right on the edge, studying the canyon below them. Ellengio came up beside him.

"Do you think we can find a way down?" he questioned.

Vincent took a deep breath.

"It does not appear impossible," he replied. "But it will be difficult."

He looked back at the animals.

"I do not see how the chendu could negotiate it."

Ellengio was in reluctant agreement.

"We'd have to go on without them," he said unplesently.

"Maybe we can find an easier way down somewhere else," Altim suggested doubtfully.

"Possible, but unfortunately there's no way to tell," Red stated. "We don't know which way to go, east or west. We could wander for miles and not find anything."

"Rono didn't tell us about this either," Nipala said.

"No," Ellengio said slowly. "But he might not even have known about it. The Chadara had not visited this valley in a long time."

"So basically it's take the chendu and try to go around or climb down on foot," Cait stated.

"That does appear to be an accurate list of our choices," Red agreed.

"So what's it going to be?" Nipala questioned.

Ellengio looked down the canyon thoughtfully.

"Neither choice is particularly appealing," he said.

"Well, it's starting to get late," Altim pointed out. "We haven't eaten all day. What say we stop for a while and have soemthing to eat, and you can think about it."

"The passage of time is not going to change the situation," Vincent stated.

"True, but who knows," Ellengio reflected. "It's true,we haven't eaten in a while, and maybe we'll come up with something in the meantime."

Vincent didn't reply, although he didn't look very hopeful. They all sat down in the shade of the chendu and pulled provisions out of their packs. Their clothing had long since dried up in the heat of the sun, but the waxy exudate they had covered themselves had dried and was very uncomfortable, even though the had begun to get used to the smell. Ellengio ate quickly, apparently anxious to be on their way. He was done well ahead of everyone else. He looked at them for a moment, but said nothing. Then he pulled the book that he had carried with him all this time out of his pack. He walked over to the edge of the canyon and sat down to study it.

"He's looking at that thing constantly," Vincent said.

"He does seem very interested in it," Red agreed.

"Well, it could have some very useful imformation in it," Nipala pointed out. "After all, it did come from this planet. Maybe it could warn us of other dangers."

"It hasn't helped us so far," Altim said glumly.

"Do you know if he's found anything useful in it?" Vincent questioned, looking at Red.

"He hasn't mentioned anything," Red replied. "In fact, he hasn't talked about it at all."

"I've noticed that," Vincent mused, looking over at Ellengio. "He does seem to guard it rather jealously."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nipala questioned.

Vincent didn't take his eyes off Ellengio.

"Probably nothing," Vincent replied, his voice dropping off to silence.

They finished eating soon enough. Vincent was just about to tell Ellengio they were ready to go when Cait suddenly spoke up.

"I'm receiving a transmission for Cid!" he said excitedly.

Vincent looked at him in surprise. They had been trying to contact Cid off and on since they had left the ship, but had recieved no reply. It was something they had all been concerned about.

"Ellengio," Vincent called out. "Cait's got in touch with Cid."

Ellengio immediately got up and strode over to them.

"Finally," he exclaimed. "Are they all right. Why haven't we been able to contact them?"

"Cid says they're not at the ship," Cait said.

"Not at the ship?" Ellengio said in surprise. "Where are they then?"

Cait paused for a moment.

"He said they had to abandon it. The Chadara found it. It's a long story."

"I'll bet," Nipala said. None of them could picture Cid leaving the ship for any reason. That was their only ticket back. If something happened to it...

"He wants to know where we are," Cait said.

"Tell him that we're headed for Meredith valley," Ellengio replied. "Tell him that we think the generator is located there. Tell him he should meet us there."

Cait nodded and paused again.

"He doesn't know where it is. But he said he can ask Roshnialo, or something like that."

"Who?" Red questioned.

"Roshnialu," Cait repeated. "He says to tell Ellengio he was right. She's half Cetra. Half Ceta?"

Ellengio's eyes grew wide.

"Half Cetra!" he said himself, his voice filled with excitement. "Where did they find him, er, her? Are there any more?"

Ellengio pressed close to Cait, demanding an answer.

"He says..." Cait stopped and paused for an annoyingly long time.

"I think...I think I've lost them," he said finally.

"What?" Ellengio exclaimed.

"They've been cut off," Cait said. "I've lost all contact."

Ellengio gave a snort of frustration. He paced back and forth in front of them.

"I knew it," he muttered. "I knew there had to be more. There had to be some that survived. They were too smart, too adaptable to have been wiped out."

"Cid said she was only half Cetra," Nipala felt obligated to point out.

Ellengio dismissed that with a shake of his head.

"But if there's one, there's a good chance there are more. Even a half Cetra proves that the bloodline still exists, that they were here at least a generation ago, and if they were here then, why shouldn't they be here now. No, there's no doubt in my mind. The Cetra race has not been extinguished on this planet!"

"I hope so," Vincent said evenly.

He looked at the canyon in front of them.

"So, have you decided?"

Ellengio stopped his pacing. He paused for a moment, the excitement of the discovery fading as he forced himself back to the reality they had to deal with.

"Yes," he said. "We might as well go on on foot. The chendu don't go much faster than a man anyway. Trying to find a way around will slow us down too much. If we're unlucky we could end up going miles out of our way, and, at the speed these beasts move, add days to our journey. A day or two on foot isn't going to kill us."

"We'll still have to get back you know," Red pointed out practically.

"But we know the others know where we are headed now," Ellengio replied. "We can always come back with them."

"That's assuming they have chendu of their own," Red commented. "And that they can find the place, and that they don't run into this canyon as well."

"Gee, you make it sound so negative," Cait stated.

"I realize we'll be taking a chance," Ellengio said. "But that's what this whole thing is about, now isn't it? One huge risk for all of us. The important thing is to get to the valley as soon as possible and complete the activation of the generator. Once we do that, we can take all the time in the world to get back to the ship."

"But what about the ship," Nipala said. "Cid said the Chadara had found it. That they had to abandon it. What if something happens to it?"

"Obviously that's another thing we have to worry about," Ellengio replied. "But it's also something we can't do anything about. And I've found it doesn't pay to worry about things you can't do anything about. The important thing for us to realize is that if the Chadara have found the ship, which means Jenova probably has too, and if that's the case they may be pursuing us. They may even have some idea of our mission. Which makes it all the more important that we get to the valley as swiftly as possible. We were obviously lucky that we left the ship when we did. We must protect the crystal materia at all costs. It cannot fall into Jenova's hands."

"Well, we might as well get going then," Vincent said. "It's going to get dark soon, and I don't relish climbing down or up this canyon in the dark. No matter what happens, we're not going to get much farther today."

"I'm afraid you're right," Ellengio agreed. "Take eveything you can off the chendus. We're going to have to carrry it all ourselves now."

As they were removing anything that might prove useful from the chendu Nipala looked at the creatures.

"Can we just leave them out here?" she questioned.

"They'll be fine," Vincent said. "And considerably better off than us, I suspect. This is their native world and they're bred to live in this enviornment. I'd day their odds of survival are much better than ours."

"Yeah," Altim agreed. "I'd hate to run into another of those thunderstorms without them."

"Good point," Ellengio said, looking up at the sky. The clouds had long ago broken up and moved off to the east. He had a feeling storms like that were rather rare. After all, even hot it was still water, and the desert around them obviously did not get much of that resource.

"All set," Vincent said, coming up beside him.

"All right, let's get going then."

They started down into the canyon, Vincent leading the way and picking the trail slowly. The slope was steep, but not overly difficult. Behind them the chendu stood outlined in the fading light, heads bent to chew on the sparce vegetation that grew at the edge of the canyon. That was the last view they got of the great beasts before the canyon lip rose up to hide them from view.


	26. There Must Be Something in the Air

CHAPTER XXVI

THERE MUST BE SOMETHING IN THE AIR

"Over that ridge is definitely the straightest way to go," Zack stated.

"Yeah, the straightest, but is it the best?" Cid replied. They stood amid a tumbled pile of rocks looking out over a shallow valley. To the north a line of rugged looking hills barred their way. "That climb doesn't look like it would be easy. There seems to be cleft in the hills to the east. See, over there? That might be a better way."

Zack looked in the direction Cid was pointing.

"Perhaps," he replied. "But you can't really tell from here. And finding out for sure is going to take us a couple of hours out of our way."

"I know," Cid replied. "But I'm not sure the ridge in front of us is passable. I'd hate to start climbing up there only to find we can't get through. That would waste even more time."

Zack stood there weighing the possibilities for a few moments.

"It's a shame Roshnialu can't give us better directions," Cid mused.

"True," Zack replied. "But she told Lai Li she'd never been to the valley, and had only spoken to a few Chadara who had. At least she had some general directions, enough to keep us from getting lost. I think we should consider ourselves lucky that she could tell us as much as she did."

"You're right," Cid said, looking over at Zack. "We'd probably never find the valley without her. In fact, we'd probably still be wandering around trapped in that Cetra base if it wasn't for her. Not to mention the fact that she saved your ass from dying. I'd say it's damn lucky we met her."

Zack was still looking at the hills in front of them, a slight nod of his head the only indication that he had heard.

"Well, it couldn't hurt to ride up to the ridge and take a closer look before we make up our minds," he said slowly.

Cid followed his gaze.

"I suppose not," he replied.

They stood there for a moment in silence. Then Cid turned around.

"All right, let's get back to the others."

They walked back down a the steep slope they had climbed to get a better look at what was in front of them. The others were waiting for them, camped in a shallow bowl of land surrounded by rocky hills.

"Well, have you figured out which direction is north yet?" Yuffie questioned sardonically.

"Very funny," Cid replied without humor. He looked up at the sky. The setting sun cast long shadows on the ground around them. "Looks like we're going to have to do a little trail blazing in the hills tomorrow. Could be a tough day. We might as well stay camped here for the night. It's already getting dark, and I'd rather tackle those hills in the full light of day."

"I kinda figured," Barret commented. Cid noticed that Barret had started a fire and had already broken out the cooking equipment. Surprisingly it had been found that he was the most proficent cook of the lot, not to mention the most willing to perform the task. Yuffie and the guys were absolutely useless, and the one time Yuffie had jokingly offered to assist him Barret had quickly shooed her away. Amanda was helpful but hadn't the slightest idea what they were doing, and though La Lai was competent at the job she never seemed to have her nose out of the notebook they had found at the Cetra base. Roshnialu was actually the most helpful of the women, but though she was very good finding and making dishes out of the native flora, none of it was cooked and meat did not seem to be a part of her diet. Barret wasn't about to live off that rabbit food she made. No, he wanted real food, salted meats and real vegetables, cooked like they should be. And if it meant it was up to him to prepare them, then so be it.

Cid had been surprised himself not so much by the fact that Barret volunteered to do the cooking, but by they fact that he wasn't half bad at it. Seeing this side of the man made him realize just how little he really knew about his friends in Avalanche. It was easy to forget Barret had a child and had once been married. They never got to see that side of him.

Cid sat down beside the chendu and started inventorying what was left in his pack. Roshnialu had told them it would take about two to three days to reach the valley. By Cid's calculations, they should have more than enough provisions, especially with Roshinalu supplementing what they had brought with native food. Still, you couldn't be too careful. Along with his cooking Barret also ate a lions share of the food, and Yuffie seemed to eat a surprising amount as well. He had no idea where she packed it on that small frame of hers. He was trying to conserve as much of what he had as he could just in case the others ran low.

Water was a bigger problem. Unless they found a way to replenish their supply, it looked like it would run out not long after they had reached the valley in question. He turned his face skyward, but it was empty except for the blazing sun. He had seen what he thought might be storm clouds off in the distance to the west eariler, but the sky above their heads had remained clear. Still, he had discussed this with Roshnialu through Lai Li, and she hadn't seemed concerned. She seemed to think they would manage to find water along the way, though where she thought it would appear in this parched landscape was more than he could fathom. But then again, she knew the place a helluva lot better than they did.

Soon the pleasent smell of cooking filled the air. Satisfied, Cid piled his belongings back in his pack and stood up, looking over there little group. A slight frown creased his features.

"Where is Lai Li?" he questioned.

"She went off a little while ago," Yuffie responded.

"Off?" Cid said tightly. "What do you mean, off?"

"She just took a little walk over that way," Yuffie continued, waving her hand vaguely toward the hills to the east. "She had that notebook with her, and she said she was going to find a more comfortable spot to look it over."

"No doubt to get away from your constant complaining," Barret cut in.

"I don't complain ALL the time!" Yuffie immediately shot back.

"Where did she go?" Cid cut them off before it could go any further. "You know no one is supposed to wander off by themselves!"

Yuffie gave him a look.

"Relax," she replied unconcenedly. "Rude went with her. I'm sure they're fine. They're probably both sitting somewhere staring at that notebook. I've never have taken Rude to have an interest in such things."

"Yeah, well, just goes to show," Cid replied, relaxing just a bit. "Still, even so, I'd rather they didn't go off by themselves. Besides, Barret almost has dinner ready. Think you could go fetch them for us?"

Yuffie scowled.

"Why should I..." she began.

"You're the one who saw where they went!" Cid snapped immediately, as if he had been expecting her to protest. "I'd send Amanda, but I don't want her wandering out there by herself either. You may be a pain in the ass, but at least you know how to take care of yourself!"

Cid stood there glaring at her. For a moment she hesitated, then shrugged and walked off toward the hills, perhaps mollified by his backhanded compliment.

Even so he heard her muttering to herself as she left.

She walked up into the hills, climbing quickly and with the ease of someone long used to taveling in this kind of terrain. Truth be told, the land around them now reminded her a lot of Da Chao back home. Though the lighting was a little different, the landscape was quite similar. With just a bit of imagination she could picture the faces of the gods carved in the stones above her.

Yuffie reached the top of the hill. She looked around, but saw no sign of Rude and Lai Li. She stooped down and looked carefully at the ground. She could make out faint footprints in the dust, leading off to the left, up a steep slope onto the next hill. She pulled out her sherukin, just as a precaution and started up the slope. It was not very far. She crested that hill. She stopped for a moment to admire the view. The hill dropped away sharply in front of her, forming a steep canyon, the walls of which where lined with various striata of rock, each layer seeming to have it's own distintive color. The countryside might be inhospitable, but she had to admit, it was beautiful to look at.

A muffled sound caught her attention. She turned and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Rude and Lai Li no more than ten feet from her, lying on the ground together in a passionate embrace, the notebook, apparently forgotten, on the ground beside them, the pages being flipped by the gusty breeze that was blowing over the hill.

For a moment she just stood there, too stunned to move. Her first thought was to turn around and go back the way she had come without saying a word. But she realized that wouldn't work out. What would she tell Cid? Then she decided she'd just stand there until they noticed her. She stood there watching them, waiting for one of them to come up for air, but neither one of them seemed anxious to do so. After about a minute of so she started to tap her foot impatiently, but the two took no notice. She teased a small stone out of the dirt and kicked it down the hill. She watched it bounce down into the canyon below. She looked at Rude and Lai Li again, but they were oblivious. Yuffie sighed. Damn, didn't they ever have to breathe? Finally she decided to take a more direct approach.

"Hey!" she yelled.

Lai Li sprang to her feet, her eyes falling on Yuffie immediately. Her face flushed crimson as she quickly adjusted her hair and smoothed her blouse. Rude leaped up as well, his face white with surprise, his hand reaching into his jacket. He stopped and stood completely motionless when he saw Yuffie. The look on his face was so comical that she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"What's so funny!" he snapped.

It took her a few moments to calm down enough to answer him.

"Oh that was great," she said, still snickering. "I wish I had a camera."

"Oh, Yuffie," Lai Li said. "We were just.."

"Yeah, yeah," Yuffie cut her off. "It's pretty obvious. I don't need to hear the details. Dinner is almost ready. Cid wants you to come back to camp."

Lai Li finished dusting herself off and picked up the notebook.

"We found something interesting," she said.

"I'll bet," Yuffie replied.

"In the notebook," Rude said gruffly.

"I'm sure everyone will be glad to hear it," Yuffie replied. "C'mon."

They followed her as she led them back to camp. She kept glancing back at them, while Lai Li pretended not to notice and Rude just glared at her. He continued to look at her even after they had reached camp, looking like he was expecting her to make a public announcement, but she said nothing.

Lai Li held up the notebook.

"I've translated some of whats in here," she said. "It looks like it's the personal journal of Talisheedra."

"Who?" Barret questioned.

"Remember when Ellengio first told us about the crystal materia?" Lai Li replied. "Talisheedra was the Cetra scientist who invented the shield generator."

"Oh, okay," Barret said slowly.

"Really?" Zack said, looking interested. "And it actually survived all this time?"

"Apparently," Lai Li replied. "I'd like to know what kind of material this paper is made out of. Actaully, it doesn't even feel like paper. Some kind of clothlike material."

She started examining the pages carefully.

"So did you find out anything useful?" Cid asked.

"I haven't gotten very far yet," Lai Li replied. "And I wouldn't exactly call it useful. Interesting would be a better word."

She flipped the book open and paused for a moment to find her place.

"There's a lot here about the building of the generator, but it's all pretty mundane," she said slowly. "Okay, here we go, listen to this:"

_The construction is almost complete. We have been working nonstop for almost a month now, and everyone is exhausted. Sometimes I am so tired I can feel myself falling asleep right where I stand. The Chadara are tireless workers, yet even they cannot go on forever without rest. But we must get the shield up before Jenova can escape from the planet. I know they have the capabiltiy, or are very close to it. Already I have heard rumors, rumors that they may aleady be here on Grouchoon. They may already know what we are trying to do, and if that is so I fear for all of us. There is no doubt in my mind that if they have found out our plan they will understand it's significance, and will do eveything in their power to stop us. Galmenthan does not agree with me. He still thinks the Jenova are not capable of such intellgence, of realizing what we are doing. He is such a fool! Does he still think the attack on Talcor was just luck, that Jenova didn't plan it at all? Just like those other fools in the high council, he thinks Jenova only acts by instinct. No, Talcor was the culmination of a well executed, one could even say brilliant, military campaign. But no one on the high council would ever admit that, none of them could even SEE it. They are so blinded by old traditions and their own arrogance that they cannot see Jenova as an intelligence equal and yes, even in some ways superior, to our own. For five hundred years we believed that, and it is what has led to our doom.  
But I for one, will not underestimate them. Some of us have realized the truth, if only too late to save our planet. But if we can get the shield up, at least we may be able to save others. Even after they conquer Shinialynn they will not be satisfied. They are driven by the need to expand, just as we would have been given the chance. They are not so much different from us, after all. Another thought the old timers would find abhorent. But I submit that it is true. Even after five hundered years of war, I find that I cannot hate them. At any rate, Jenova cannot be allowed to expand, not be allowed to reach other planets where they can destroy other civilizations, others who are innocent. Shinailynn is lost, but it is only one planet among many. Even though I mourn the fact that I will never set foot on it again, I will not shy away from the truth, that it is by our own hand, our own stupidity, that this has come about. We have no one to blame but ourselves._

Lai Li looked up from the book.

"The next entry starts with something unrelated. She may touch upon this again later in the book, but I haven't gotten that far yet."

"What does she mean by their own stupidity?" Amanda questioned.

"Looks like the Cetra are more like humans then even they might like to think," Zack said. "It appears their own arrogance about their superior intelligence is what led to their downfall."

"Perhaps," Lai Li said slowly. "Maybe I'll find out more later on. But it's too dark to translate anymore tonight. Besides, I smell something good."

"The foods all ready," Barret annouced.

They sat down beside their chendu and quickly finished off the meal, all of them being hungry and tired from the long days journey. But even so by the time they had finished night had fallen. Most of them settled down and slipped into the tents they had pitched. Zack was about to do the same when Roshinialu came up beside him and beckoned for him to come with her.

"What is it?" he questioned.

She didn't reply, of course, just took hold of his hand and led him away. He looked back at the camp, then around them in the night, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. His hand fingered the hilt of his sword, but there was no sign of danger, and somehow her attitude did not indicate to him that there was any trouble brewing.

They climbed up a steep hill, one of the many surrounding the camp, and not far from where Lai Li and Rude had gone, actually. But they climbed higher, right to the crest of the hill. It was quite dark now, and the hill around them was shrouded in darkness, with only the stars above their heads for light, but Rohsnialu led him on unerringly.

Finally they stopped. The east side of the hill faced out over a steep gully, the hills beyond stretching away in the distance. Roshnialu sat down right by the edge of the cliff and patted the ground beside her.

"What is it?" Zack said, more puzzled than ever. Nevertheless he obeyed, easing himself down beside her. She said nothing, just pointed to the east. At first he saw nothing, but then he realized there was a faint glow in the sky in that direction. Begining to suspect why they had come up there he sat beside her in silence.

They didn't have to wait long. The faint light grew brighter, and then a sliver of silver light seemed to burst above the line of hills to the east. Zack nearly had to turn away, his eyes being so accumstomed to the darkness that had until a moment ago surrounded them. But his eyes adjusted quickly. He watched in awe as the thin sliver of light grew, becoming a beacon, seeing the rounded edge looming up over the hills, waiting for the curve to reach it's limits, and to start to diminish as the heavenly orb reached the midpoint in it's ascent above the horizen. But it just kept getting larger, seeming to fill the sky unitl he gasped at the size of it. Light flooded around them, brighter than any night sky had a right to be, nearly as bright as day, yet very different. The silverly reflected light filled the landscape with an eerie glow, casting long shadows from hill and rock, and yes, even themselves. Shadows that were dark as the night had been just a few minutes before. Zack just sat there, speechless, as Shinialyn rose into the sky, nearly four times as large as the moon he was accustomed to.

For all the time they had been here, it was the first time he had seen Shinialyn in the night sky. He didn't know why they hadn't seen it earlier, on some other night. There was probably some complicated scientific explanation. Obviously Roshnialu had know this was going to occur. Not that it mattered. He wasn't thinking about that right now, he couldn't. All he could do was stare. Never in his life had he seen anything so beautiful. The planet shone like a jewel, a huge pearl in the sky, and seemed close enough that if he just extented his hand, he could wrap his fingers around it. The surface of Shinialyn showed none of the planets features, of course, they were hidden beneath the silver energy field that was created by the shield around it. Yet looking closely at it now, he saw the surface was not featureless. Currents seemed to ebb and flow through it, like water rippling on the surface of a pond. Occasionally darker spots would appear, flaring wide and then disappearing almost as quickly, yet for a fleeting moment, he caught a glimps of browns and blues that may very well have been the surface of the planet.

He turned to see Roshnialu looking at him, her blue eyes seeming larger than he had ever seen them, sparkling with light, her face bathed in the soft silver glow.

"It's so beautiful," he said. "Thank you, thank you for bringing me up here to see it."

She did not reply, but smiled at him, and almost without realizing it he felt her hand slip into his own. She looked up at the planet above them again, her long hair falling shimmering in the light at the slight shift of her head. Zack sat there, looking at her now.

For a long time they just sat there in silence, yet the time hardly seemed to pass at all. Zack watched as a slight breeze played across Roshinalu's features, gently brushing against the strands of her hair. She was so much like Aeris, and yet so different. He had a comfortable feeling being around Aeris, a feeling he did not get from anyone else, at least, not until now. He had always thought it was because of what had had together, because of their love, but that wasn't really it. The real reason was because he remembered her from before. She was the only concrete thing he had from his past, and because of that he didn't want to let go, because, for all his non caring attitute, he didn't want to be alone. But that wasn't love, he knew that even though he had been trying to hide from that truth all this time. He knew it, for if he didn't he never would have walked up on top of that hill in Gongoga, never would have given up like that.

He still was looking at Roshinaiu. She turned toward him once more, noticing that he was staring at her. A slight furrow formed in her brow, a questioning look on her face, but it vanished as soon as he smiled at her.

Yet now here he was, on an alien planet, with even Aeris far away, yet he felt content, more content in fact, then he ever had since he had lost his memory. And it was all because of the woman in front of him. Aeris had been half human, Roshinalu was not even that. She was a completely alien species to him. Yet it didn't seem to matter. Somehow they had formed a bond, made a connection against all odds. After all his searching back on his world, after all the time trying to find himself, he thought it incredibly ironic that he would find peace on a world light years from his home.

Roshnialu was still looking at him, the smile slowly fading into a thoughtful expression. Gradually he found his face drifting slowly closer to hers, their eyes locked on one another.

Perhaps it was because she was one of a kind, perhaps it was because she had lost everything as well, perhaps it was just something in the air. Whatever the reason, he suddenly realized that Shinialyn was not the only beautiful thing out tonight.

And then their lips met.

* * *

Reeve sat in front of his tent, his eyes roaming over the hills that surrounded the campsite. They had decided to stop near the base of a steep butte for the night, it's cliffs looming formidably over them in the darkness. They had all watched in awe as Shinialyn had risen into the sky not long ago. But the excitement of seeing the glowing orb eventually wore off, and they turned to the more mundane yet satisfying pleasure of getting some sleep. Reeve was on first watch tonight, so he was denied that pleasure, at least for a little while. Realizing that the light given off by the planet above them would make it diffiuclt to sleep, they had moved into the shadow of the butte, shrouding themselves once more in darkness.

The camp was quiet now. Reeve wasn't sure if the others were all asleep, for, although the sound of talking had long since ceased, he could still see some of them moving restlessly.

He was a bit envious. Not that he was particularly tired. It just seemed kind of senseless to him to keep a watch. Nothing seemed to live out here. They were far away from any cities, anyplace inhabited. Nothing had bothered them since they had started their journey. It was just a precaution, he realized, and a prudent one at that. it was just that it was so boring, he almost wished sometimes that something would happen.

He watched the dark shadow of the butte for a while. It had stretched out far into the desert to the north when they had first pitched camp, but now it was much closer to him, and shinking at an almost visible rate as Shinialyn rose into the sky. The shadow's edge stood no more then a few meters from him now. Soon the planet would break over the top of the butte and shine down on them once more. By then the camp would be asleep, not caring anymore about the light, except for the watchman, of course.

No, he didn't mind staying up. It was only for a couple of hours anyway, before Elena was to relieve him. It was just so boring, it was difficult to keep awake sometimes. What he really needed was a good radio.

The others were quiet now, all obviously asleep, or at least he thought so until he saw Aeris stir. She had been lying on her back, perhaps looking up at the stars, but now she sat up. She looked around at the others for a moment, then turned toward him Slowly she got up and approached.

"Can't sleep?" he questioned.

She didn't answer, just stood there for a moment. Then she turned in a slow circle, looking at the silver flecked hills around them.

"It's a beautful night," she said as her gaze returned to him.

"Yes it is," he said slowly.

"Hard to believe," she cointinued. "I thought our own planet was beautiful, but this one is too." She glanced up in the sky. "And Shinialyn is. And probably untold others, all up there somwhere in the heavens. The universe is filled with beautiful things. Even here, on this inhospitable world, we are surrounded by it."

Reeve wasn't really sure what to make of what she was saying. He just nodded agreeably.

"I'm glad I came here," she said. "I'm glad we all did. In spite of the danger. There is power here, the power to heal. Don't you feel it?"

Reeve paused for a moment.

"Umm, not really," he replied.

"That's because you are not letting yourself," she replied. "It's very strong here, very strong tonight. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is because the great silent one is in the sky."

She walked a few paces away, until she passed out of the shadow of the butte. Instantly she was surrounded by silver light. Almost it seemed to glow around her. She raised her hands to the planet above.

"Talk to me, oh silent one!" she commanded. "You are the home of my people. What wonderous tales could you tell me, if you were free? What tales of the Cetra?"

Reeve sat there watching her with a bemused smile. She stood motionless for a few moments, then dropped her arms.

"Nobody home?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"It doesn't matter though. Grouchoon has enough tales to tell," she said, apparently undaunted. "Even now I can hear it. It's singing Reeve. I know you can't hear it, but it is. I don't know the song, but it's beautiful too."

"100 bottles of beer in a hall?" Reeve suggesteed.

"Oh you are so silly," she replied. "I'm serious."

"I'm sorry," he said. "But I'm still not used to this Cetra stuff, this taliing with the planet and all. To me it's you who's acting a little odd."

"I can't help it, I feel giddy. Almost like I'm drunk," she said, spinning around again, much faster this time.

He looked at her and smiled again. He couldn't picture that.

"Drunk on moonshine?" he suggested. It seemed appropriate with the light still surrounding her.

She swept her arm in front of her.

"This is the moon," she pointed out.

"Planetshine, then," he corrected.

"I don't know," she replied. She walked over to him, back into the darkness and dropped down to her knees right beside him. "There's some kind of harmony. I can't explain it. I feel like an enormous burden has been lifted from me. I almost feel like I can fly!"

"That will certainly make the trip a lot easier for you," he commented.

She shook her head. Her hair, unbound, swirled around her.

"You're funny tonight," she said.

"I'm funny?"

"Yes," she replied firmly, leaning closer to him and looking straight at him, as if waiting for him to challange her statement.

"Not really what I'm known for," he replied slowly.

"Just to those who don't know you," she said. "There's much more to you than meets the eye, Reeve. You're one of the most complex people I've ever met."

"Me?" he replied, sounding genuinely surprised. "On the contrary, I'm exceeding simeple. There's nothing to me. There's nothing special at all. I'm an extremely ordinary person.

"No no no no," she countered, shaking her head more vigourously, until he felt her hair brush against his cheek. "You don't fool me. You can't hide from me behind your modesty. That's another thing. I've never met someone with so little ego."

Reeve made a face.

"Thanks a lot."

"No, I mean it in a good way," she said quickly. "You never ever put yourself ahead of others. You always sensitive to what other people think and feel. I find it extremely endearing."

Reeve's eyebrow arched at the word.

"There's not many men like that, Reeve" she continued. "You're one of a kind."

Reeve felt his face begin to redden.

"Oh stop," he said. "It's you who are one of a kind. You're the special one."

She put her finger up to his lips to shush him.

"Don't you try to deflect the conversation," she said. "We're not talking about me tonight. I've been thinking about this a lot, and I don't think I've ever properly thanked you for all you've done for me."

"Oh I haven't..." he began, but her warning finger cut him off.

"Don't deny it," she said. "You were willing to give your life for me. That's something I can never repay. When I found out my ressurection had been the cause of Jenova's return, it was you who tried to cheer me up, who made me realize just how important I was to you all. You always seem to be there when I need someone Reeve. Always."

Reeve loked down at the ground, thoroughly embarrased now.

"I...it..." he stammered.

She leaned closer to him.

"Kiss me."

His head shot up.

"What?"

"Kiss me," She repeated, her face inches from his own.

"But...I...what about Zack?"

"That's part of it," she replied. "For all this time, I've held back, because I knew he needed me. I was the only one who could help him. Tifa told me a while ago to be selfish, to just make up my mind and not worry about whether I hurt anyone. But I couldn't do that. I cuoldn't hurt him. But now...somehow...I feel he's found his place. I don't know how I know, but he doesn't need me anymore. He's healed."

Reeve just sat there looking at her for a long time.

"Even so," he said finally, glancing at the others. "Do you really want to do this right here? What will the others say?"

Aeris made a face.

"They're all asleep," she pointed out. "Besides, it's only a kiss."

"But Aeris, don't you think.." he began.

"Oh now you're being ridiculous!" she said. She grabbed hold of him and pulled him to her, pressing her lips against his. For a second he remained stiff, almost as if he were going to pull away. Then suddenly his whole body relaxed. His arms came up around her, holding her tightly. For long minutes they remained motionless. And suddenly the air around them was filled with light. Their lips parted, and Reeve saw that Shinialyn had crested the butte, and now shown down upon them, haloing Aeris in it's silver light.

"I must be dreaming," he whispered.

He could hardly believe this was happening. He reached up and caressed her cheek, as if to confirm the reality of it. She reached up and took hold of his hand.

"No, it's no dream Reeve. It's real."

"My god," he said, no louder than before. "I've thought about this moment since we were together on the southern continent. I can't believe it's actually happening."

Aeris just slipped her arms around him again. She was still looking at him, her eyes dark pools in the light.

"I love you Aeris," his voice barely to be heard.

She smiled.

"I know you do," she said, just as softly. "I've known from the begining, I think. I just wish I could have appreciated it sooner. I didn't want to cause you any pain."

His grip tightened on her.

"It was all worthwhile," he replied. "I'd wait a thousand years, if that's what it took."

She smiled and leaned closer once again.

"Kiss me," she said.

This time there was no hesitation.


	27. Wolf In The Fold

CHAPTER XXVII

WOLF IN THE FOLD

Tifa wiped the sweat from her brow and looked up at the sun glaring down at them. Each day seemed to be hotter than the last. She thought after all this time she would start to get used to it, but it didn't seem to be working that way. Each day out here seemed to be more intolerable then the previous. For a day or two it wouldn't have been so bad, but the unrelenting nature of it was taking it's toll. She was begining to think it would have been better to face Jenova right now, at least that would be over quickly.

She looked behind them. They had been climbing slowly up into the hills for most of the day. The slope was gentle, however, so she was surprised to see just how high they had gotten. The plain was far below them to the south, stretching off into the distance, while the dark granite bluffs surrounded them on three sides.

Turning forward once more she looked ahead to see the mountains rising up in front of them. Tifa had always liked mountains, but she had to admit she was begining to get sick of them. Admiring their beauty from afar had always left an impression of awe, but climbing up them every day was another matter entirely.

Ahead of them a narrow gorge opened up, a jagged rent in the mountains in front of them, as if they had been split by a giant axe. The ground leveled off as the walls of the gorge rose around them. As they proceeded forward it narrowed, the rock walls pressing in around them, until they could barely walk two abreast.

"How do we know this canyon just doesn't dead end?" Reno asked.

No one answered him, thought it was obvious the same thought was on the mind of most of the others. Tifa saw Cloud looking around suspiciously. She could tell he was thinking what a perfect spot this would be for an ambush. The walls were far too steep to climb, and the narrowness of the canyon floor made it almost impossible to run or manuever. If someone got up on the cliffs above...

She looked up at the forbidding walls around them. Far above she could see the sky, and the top of the gorge's walls. Anyone up there could attack at will, and they probably wouldn't even be able to retaliate.

Tifa looked over at Jinn, walking in front alongside Cloud, and once again was reminded of how similar the boy looked to Cloud when she had know him in Nibelheim, before he had left to join SOLDIER.

But Jinn seemed unconcerned. There was no reason to believe there was any threat nearby. They had left Jenova and the Chadara far behind. This was far from their civilization, and no one knew that they were coming here. The chances of them being ambushed were nil.

Still, she would be glad when they got out from underneath those menacing cliffs.

The gorge wound it's way through the moutains, twisting and turning, leaving them little chance to see what was ahead of them, and Tifa thought it was more likely they would come around a corner only to find themselves in a dead end than to be ambushed, or to find a way out. But slowly the ground started to slope downward, and the cliffs above dimished in height, until finally they came around a turn and the canyon walls fell away from them, revealing a wide valley in front of them.

They all stopped, looking down at the valley below. To call it lush on any other planet might be an overstatement, but that's exactly how it looked compared to the normal deserts of Grouchoon. Spartan bristlelike grass grew scattered across the valley floor below them, covering perhaps one third of it. Jagged leafed bushes and long cactus like foliage were less abundant, yet were still grew in far greater numbers than anyplace else they had seen. The slopes right in front of them were blanketed with a thorny bramble studded with small flowers. The first such type of vegetation they had seen here.

"Oh, it's beautiful," Aeris said approvingly.

Jinn pointed ahead of them and spoke.

"Meredith valley," Aeris translated.

"Bout time," Reno said grumpily.

Cloud folded his arms across his chest.

"This place looks more suited to habitation then anyplace we've seen here," he mused. "How come it's deserted?"

"This whole damn planet is ass backwards," Reno said.

Aeris spoke to Jinn.

"He says it's sacred ground. It's taboo to live here."

"Figures," Reno snorted.

"Well I wouldn't complain because it helps us," Elena said. "No one is here to interfere with us."

Tifa felt a touch on her arm. She turned to see Jinn standing beside her, an orange flower in his hand.

"For me?" Tifa said in surprise.

Jinn did not say anything, just stood there looking at her, holding the flower expectantly. She took it and inhaled it's fragrance.

"Thank you Jinn," Tifa said, taken completely by surprise. "It smells wonderful, and it's my favorite color too."

"Your favorite color is orange?" Cloud questioned.

"Something wrong with that?" Tifa said, looking at him.

"No," he said quickly. "I just never heard of anyone who's favorite color was orange."

"I'm unique," she responded.

"I think he likes you. Maybe Cloud should be jealous," Elena said.

"He's just a little kid," Cloud said quickly and much too seriously.

"Well I think it was very sweet," Tifa commented.

They continued down the slope, and soon found themselves at the bottom of the valley. The mountains completely surrounded them here. Cloud looked up at them.

"So what now?" he quesitoned. "We're here. Where are we supposed to go now? What did that ryhme thing say. On a mountaintop somewhere?"

"In the eye of Aramus," Aeris said.

"That doesn't appear to be very helpful," Reno said. "There are mountaintops all around us. How do we know which one is the right one?"

They all looked at Aeris, who was just gazing at the mountains. Finally she pointed one out.

"That one there. That kind of looks like a face at the top of it, don't you think?"

"Which one?" Cloud said, following her gaze.

"That one there," she said, walking over next to him and pointing.

Cloud tried to distinguish exactly where she was pointing, but there were several peaks in that direction.

"I still don't see which one you mean," he said, shaking his head.

Aeris sighed impatiently.

"You see those two tallpeaks," she said. "The one's taller than any of the others?"

"Yes," Cloud said slowly.

"Okay, to the left of them, one, two, three peaks over. Just past the one with the whitish coloring."

"Okay, I see it now," Cloud said slowly.

"I don't see a face," Reno cut in. He had come up to stand beside them as well.

"Right near the top," Aeris said. "See that depression, that's the eye, and then the nose sticking out underneath. And then the mouth."

They looked at it for a few moments.

"You're out of your mind," Reno said. "It doesn't look anything like that."

"It does too!" Aeris insisted. "What are you blind?"

"You must be hallucinating," Reno retorted.

"You see it, don't you Cloud?" Aeris said, turning to look at him.

Cloud hesitated.

"I think I can make it out," he said slowly.

"See," Aeris said, looking at Reno with apparent vindication.

"He doesn't see a thing," Reno snorted. "He's just agreeing with you. Besides, that was two thousand years ago, everything might have changed by now."

"It still looks like a face," Aeris said stubbornly.

"I think I see it," Tifa volunteered.

Reno just shook his head.

"So you think they meant it literally?" Cloud asked "You think we should look up in that 'eye'?"

Aeris nodded.

"Looks like a difficult climb," Reeve said, gauging the moutain.

"Especially for nothing," Reno said bitterly.

"Nobody said this was going to be easy," Cloud pointed out.

They started off once again. The gently sloping ground in front of them made traveling easy, and soon they found themselves at the bottome of the hills. Here the flora was even more abundant. Most of it was the flower covered brambles. And indeed, in some places it grew so think that the ground was impassable, and they had to go around. Tifa stoppped for a moment to examine the plant. Along with the flowers it was studded with tiny leaves, It grew about waist high, so thickly that it was impossible to determine where one plant ended and another began. Then again, for all she could tell, the entire patch could very well be just one plant. The strems were almost black, and covered with thick thorny spines. Somehow that seemed appropariate. No plant life on this planet survived without a struggle.

As she bent closer a shrill piping sound made her jump back with a cry. There was a scrambling sound, and the bush shook as something darted through it. She caught a glimpse of a small brown creature, no bigger than her hand, before it disappeared futher into the bramble.

"What was that?" Cloud said, suddenly standing beside her, the Chadara weapon ready.

"I'm not sure," Tifa replied. "Some kind of small animal. I must have disturbed it. It ran away, over there somewhere. I don't think it was anything to be converned about."

Cloud nodded, slowly lowering his weapon. He looked at Aeris.

"Does Jinn know anything about this?" he asked.

Aeris spoke to Jinn for a moment.

"No," she said. "He can't really say what it might have been, since he didn't see it. But Tifa was probably right. It's most likely harmless."

Cloud looked at the bramble again, then, with a curt nod of his head, led them away. Harmless it might be, but he wasn't going to take any chances. They still didn't know much about the fauna on this planet. Small size didn't necessarily mean it wasn't dangerous.

They headed steadily across the valley floor, straight at the mountain Aeris had pointed out. This range wasn't as tall as most of the others they had seen, and the one they were heading for was smaller then most. Still, he couldn't tell from down here how difficult it would be to get up. He looked up at the sky. The sun was so bright he could barely stand looking in it's direction. It was nearly at it's zenith now, which meant they only had about four hours before nightfall. He wanted to reach the summit before then, not that it was a big deal. He was just impatient, nothing new for him. He cursed silently about the length of the days here.

They reached the foothills an hour later, and started uphill once again. At first the climb was easy, the slope curving gently upward. Plant growth had stabilized these mountains, and they weren't jagged and rocky like most of the others they had seen here. The lack of rough edges smacked of long years of erosion. In this almost waterless region, erosion must be a much slower process. He had a feeling the mountains around them were very ancient, perhaps having looked much this way thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of years in the past.

Two hours into the climb they stopped to have something to eat. Cloud was pleased with their progress. He estimated they were perhaps three quarters of the way up. Looking up he could plainly make out the summit above them, but he also noted that the mountain seemed to get steeper near the top. He could see the dark gouge in the mountain that he thought Aeris had taken for an eye, tantilizingly close. So far they hadn't had any problems, and he was hoping that would continue until they reached the top.

Even though they had made good time, Cloud was still anxious to get to the pinnacle as quickly as possible. He finished eating quickly, practically wolfing down his food, then stood there making no atttempt to hide his impatience as the others ate. Noticing this the others finished quickly as well, all except Reno who, obviously as aware of Cloud's impatience as the others, took his sweet time.

Eventually they started off again. They didn't get very far when the slope climbed sharply upward. The plants were fewer here, and they were mostly surrounded by naked rock. Even so it was not the crumbly reddish sandstone of most of the mountains, but grey colored granite, smooth to the touch and solid as...well, solid as a rock. They had to pick their path much more carefully now, suddenly acutely aware of just how high up in air they were, and the unpleasent consequences of a fall. At least with the solid nature of the rocks, and unlike the other moutains they had climbed, they didn't have to worry about a piece coming loose in their hand as they grasped it.

They came to a narrow level area and paused for a moment. The mountain was almost vertical above them now, and they could not see far ahead, but Cloud knew they were very close to their destination.

"This is ridiculous," Reno muttered, looking up. "It's a nearly vertical slope up above us. It wasn't so bad when it was easy to climb, but this is too much. I'm not going to climb up there on some wild goose chase."

"It's not a whild goose chase," Aeris said.

"You don't know that for sure," Reno replied. "All we have to go on is your interpretation of seeing a 'face' here. There are dozens of other mountains here, some we couldn't even see from where we came in. Any of them could be the right one. Besides, we don't even know for sure if that rhyme really means anything at all. For all we know, it could just be something someone made up."

"We've got nothing else to go on," Cloud snapped.

"Then it looks like we've got nothing," Reno replied.

"So what, you just want to give up?" Tifa said. "We can't go back now."

"We've come to the valley, it would be foolish to go back now," Reno said. "But we could at least take a look at the other mountains in the valley. Maybe one of them would be more obvious."

"You want to go back down after all this climb?" Reeve questioned. "We're so close to the top."

Reno snorted.

"Close doesn't count," he said. "Look up above you. It's nearly vertical. We don't have any climbing equipment. Do you realize how difficult it will be? I'm not going to take a chance on falling and getting myself killed. Not without more proof."

"Don't be an idiot," Cloud said, getting annoyed now. "There's no way we're going to turn back now."

Reno folded his arms across his chest and looked at Cloud, the challenge clear in his eyes.

"Well I'm not going up there," he said firmly.

"We've got to," Aeris said.

"Don't you see how stupid this is?" Reno snapped at her. "Who would build something up here? How could they get the equipment up here? There's no road. You think they carried it all on their backs, up that?" He pointed to the slope above them. "That's insane!"

"I have no idea how they might have done it," Cloud said. "But I know they wished to conceal it, so putting it somewhere no one would suspect probably was an idea that appealed to them. Perhaps they had a road, and removed it, perhaps the Chadara flew everything in. Perhaps there was a tunnel from below that they closed up. I don't know. But I'm going to find out for sure."

"Well I'm not going up there," Reno repeated.

Elena stepped forward.

"C'mon Reno, this is no time to be stubborn. Let's get this done first, then you and Cloud can have your little ego battle. This isn't the time!"

"This isn't about ego!" Reno said. "It's about stupidity. As in, this entire little adventure. We should have gone back to the ship once we escaped from the city. Now we're out in the middle of nowhere, with almost no clue as to what we're doing and lacking the provisions to make our way back. I have to admit, Cloud, you couldn't have made things worse for us if you were consciously trying. Are you sure you're not working for Jenova?"

"Reno.." Tifa began, but Cloud cut her off.

"Fine," Cloud said in a surprisingly calm voice. "I'm not going to argue with you anymore. I'm going up, and anyone who wants to come with me is welcome. If anyone wants to stay here, or go back down, or try and make their way back to the ship, that's fine too. I can't make anyone come with me. In fact, I don't want anyone to come with me if they don't want to. So Reno, you do whatever you want."

With that he turned and started up the slope, not even looking back to see if the others were follwing.

For a moment they all just stood there. Reno looked at Cloud angrily, but he said nothing. Tifa looked like she was going to say something, but then turned and followed Cloud, Aeris and Jinn right behind her. Reeve turned to go but Elena spoke.

"I don't think it's a good idea for anyone to be alone," she said. "I'll stay here with Reno. Let us know if you find anything."

Reeve looked back and forth between them for a moment, then nodded and followed the others.

"I don't need no babysitter," Reno protested. "Besides I've got a good mind to go back down."

"Oh shut up!" Elena snapped. "You're not going anywhere."

Reeve shook his head as they dropped out of earshot below him. The others were already making their way up ahead of him, and he climbed quickly until he caught up. He had to admit Reno was right about one thing, it was a difficult climb, although more in a psychological sense than a physical one. There were plenty of handholds, but the climb was straight up now, and the thought that one slip would send one plummeting downward, most likely to their death, made every movement nervewracking. Reeve kept his eyes fixed firmly on the handholds he was using above him, never once looking down. He could see the others above him, and he noticed that none of them did either.

The climb wasn't really that great a distance. On level ground they would have covered it in minutes, nevertheless, it took them nearly a half hour to finally haul themselves up over the top, much to their relief.

They stood at the bottom of a huge bowl, tilted vertically. The upper rim of it perhaps ten meters above their heads. This was obviously the eye they had seen from afar.

Cloud looked in the other direction, out over the valley below them. He could see the entire valley now, and the mountains that rimmed it. It was an impressive sight.

He stood there for a minute, looking at the mountain below, and a frown slowly formed on his face. They couldn't see anything directly below them, but the bottom the mountain flared out, and they could see the lower slopes.

"I see something moving down there," he said.

The others were immediately beside him.

"Where?" Reeve questioned.

Cloud pointed.

"Down there, to the south, coming up the slope. It's looks like...those chendu things?"

No one spoke for a moment. Beside him Aeris stared.

"It's definitely men on chendu," she said. "I think...I think it's Elengio! And Red and Nipala. There's no mistaking them. And some other's as well."

"The others are here?" Tifa said, surprise and excitement mixing in her voice.

"I can't tell if it's all of them," Aeris replied. "It's hard to make out the figures. There are four chendu, so it can't be everyone."

"Still, this is great," Tifa said. "If the others are here, it means they had reason to find this place as well. Which means it's that much more likely we're on the right track."

"Uh huh," Cloud agreed, speaking calmly but the smile on his face giving away his own excitement. He looked critically at the group below.

"It's going to take them a while to reach us," he said. "Let's see what we can find."

The group turned to look at the mountainside. Tumbled piles of rounded rocks were scattered all around. They could see the enitire interior of the 'eye' in front of them, but they saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"So what are we looking for?" Cloud questioned.

"Some kind of entrance," Aeris suggested. "If the generator's up here, they must have built it inside the mountain. We've got to find a way in."

"Spread out, everyone, and look around," Cloud commanded.

They obeyed, scattering up into the rocks. looking for any sign of an entrance, anything unusual or out of the ordinary. The area was not very large, and it didn't take them long to scour through it.

"What's this?" Reeve called out after a while. He was standing near the center of the 'eye'.

The others came over to him. He was looking at the stone wall in front of him. They could make out the faint outline of something carved in the rock.

Aeris walked up to it and carefully brushed the dirt and dust off it. Some kind of symbol became visible, etched in the rock.

"The symbol of Aramus!" Aeris said.

"There's something underneath it too," Reeve said.

Aeris nodded, noting the smooth crevice in the wall beneath it, as if it were not natural.

"It seems like some place to place your hand," she said slowly.

Before anyone could protest she fitted her hand to the spot. Immediatly the wall swung inward soundlessly to reveal a dark passage.

"Damn!" Cloud muttered. It had worked, but if he would have had time he would have stopped her from doing it. Did she have to be so hasty?

"This must be it!" Aeris said excitedly.

"I guess so," Cloud said. He stepped up to the entrance and peered inside. It was dark, but he could see a faint glow coming from further inside, recognizing it immediately as the glow that seemed to emanate from all Cetra buildings.

"This is it alright," he agreed. He looked behind them.

"I guess we better go get Reno," he said, somewhat reluctantly. "Although I don't think it would be a great hardship to just leave him there."

"That wouldn't be fair to Elena," Tifa pointed out.

He walked over to the edge and peered down. He could not see the others below. He wasn't anxious to climb back down.

"Reno! Elena!" he shouted. He stood there listening for a resonse, but heard nothing.

"Damn, they must be too far away to hear. We have to send someone down to get them."

"I'll go," Tifa volunteered. She had found that she was getting used to climbing the mountains, and it hadn't really been that difficult.

"You sure?" Cloud asked. He was willing to climb down himself if need be.

"Yes," she replied. "Just promise me you won't go in there without me."

"Of course," he replied.

"All right then, I'll be back soon."

"Be careful," he warned.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," she said and started back down. Cloud stood at the edge looking after her until she disappeared. Then he turned back to the others. Aeris stood beside Jinn right next to the entrance.

"I'm going in," she said.

Cloud looked at her in surprise.

"What?"

"I'm going to go see what's in there," she said.

"We have to wait for the others," Cloud reminded her.

"I've been talking to Jinn," she said. "He tells me he's heard something about this. He was told by his father that the generator has a protective field around it. Only the Cetra can approach it, anyone else who tries cannot get through the field. There's no sense in waiting, none of you can go in anyway."

Cloud just looked at them for a moment, frowning. He didn't like this idea at all.

"Aeris, you can't go in there alone. We don't know what's in there. We don't know what other dangers there might be."

"I'll be fine," she said reassuringly. "This place has been hidden for two thousand years. No one knows about it. It was built by the Cetra. There is no danger to a Cetra inside. Besides, Jinn will come with me."

"He's just a kid," Cloud pointed out. "He's not any protection."

"He's much more mature than he looks," Aeris defended him. "You have no idea what he's gone through. He lost both his parents, had to fend for himself while in the captivity of Jenova. He saw his parents and all that was left of his people killed right in front of him. When I asked him how he could go on he told me by remembering his parents, and all that they had gone through for him, to try to make him safe. He said he got lonely sometimes, but he comforted himself with the thought that even though it was a tradegy that he had lost his parents, he considers himself lucky for having known them in the first place."

"That's all well and good," Cloud replied. "But maturity doesn't have anything to do with it. He's still a kid, he's not going to be able to help you if you're attacked."

"There's nothing to worry about," Aeris said stubbonly. "We'll just go in and take a look around. Don't you even want to be sure the generator is in there?"

"What else could be there?" Cloud said, still not happy with the idea. "Besides, theres nothing you can do in there without the crystal materia. Ellengio's got that and he's on his way. It's foolish to go in there now, all by yourself."

"I'm not going to be by myself," Aeris repeated.

"And I told you Jinn..." Cloud began, then shut up, realizing his voice was rising rapidly. He knew yelling at Aeris wasn't going to help. If anything it would make her more determined. Why did she have to be so damn stubborn?

He turned to Reeve, imploring him with his eyes to intervene.

"I have to agree with Cloud," Reeve said slowly. "It's too dangerous."

Aeris dismissed it with a wave of her hand.

"You're all being way too cautious," she said. "I want to see what it looks like. We'll be right back."

And without further discussion she walked into the cave, Jinn right behind her.

"Aeris!" Reeve called out. Cloud came over and put a hand on his shoulder. Reeve looked at him to see him shaking his head.

"It's not going to do any good," he said. "I've seen her like this before. Once she's made up her mind, wild horses can't change it."

"But..." Reeve said. "Isn't that what got her killed once before?"

Cloud just sighed.

"Maybe. It might have killed her, but it sure didn't change her."

He walked back to the edge of the cliff and looked down. Tifa was nowhere in sight. He plopped himself down on the edge. Things were not going as he had planned. Not that that was anything new. No matter what he did, no matter how careful he was, things always seemed to go awry. Was it the natural way of things, or was Reno right, was he just a poor leader?

They had found the generator, he was sure of it. All they had to do now was wait. Ellengio was on his way. He had the crystal materia. Everything they needed to complete the mission was almost in place. He should be pleased with himself. Yet doubts nagged at him. He didn't like the fact that they were split up. He didn't like the fact that Tifa was risking her life to climb back down the cliff, all because Reno had been too stubborn to climb up himself in the first place. And he especially didn't like Aeris running off by herself. Not by herself, he corrected, with Jinn. He had a real bad feeling about that. Something about that whole converstaion they had just had bothered him. But he wasn't sure what it was.

He stared out into space, thinking about all they had gone through to get here. He heard Reeve moving around behind him for a few minutes, but then he fell silent. Cloud lookd down again. It hadn't been long, and it was a difficult climb. He knew Tifa could not make it back this quickly, but he was terribly impatient. The sooner they were all together again, the better he would feel.

He sat there for a long time in silence, going over all that had happened to them. The entire chain of events since they had been captuered. Something was odd about the whole thing. Slowly a frown formed on his face.

Suddely he stood up. He started to turn around to talk to Reeve when he heard a voice from below.

"Cloud!"

He looked down and saw Tifa climbing up the slope, Elena and Reno not far behind her.

"Right here," he called. "Hurry up!"

He watched them nervously as they came up the final few meters, but they made it without incident. Cloud grabbed hold of Tifa's arm when she reached him.

"I have to talk to you," he said urgently.

"What is it?" Tifa said, worry creasing her face as she glanced past him. "Where are the others?"

"Aeris and Jinn went into the cave," he replied. "Reeve and I..." he stopped when he looked behind him and saw no sign of Reeve.

"Shit!" he exclaimed. He ran over to the entrance and looked inside. There was no sign of anyone.

"I don't belive this!" he exclaimed.

"What happened?" Tifa asked.

Cloud quickly recounted the events that had occured while Tifa had been absent.

"Reeve must have gone in after them," Cloud stated bittterly when he had finished. "Why couldn't he have said something to me!"

"What a mess this has turned out to be," Reno muttered, looking not at all happy to have been dragged up here.

"Do you think we should go after them?" Tifa asked.

Cloud took her by the arm again, leading here away from the others. Tifa followed, looking at him curiously.

"Cloud, what is it?" she asked.

Cloud stopped when they were out of earshot of the Turks.

"I need you to tell me what happened to you back in Darius, when they took you away."

Tifa did not reply for a moment, her face paling slightly.

"I know you don't want to talk about it," Cloud said. "I know it's painful, but it's important."

Tifa still did not reply. She had tried to purge all thought of what had happened that day from her mind. All she wanted was to forget about that horrible horrible feeling she had had as Jenova had crawled around inside her head. She couldn't see how that could possibly have anything to do with what was going on now, but it was obvious Cloud had something in mind. He knew how she felt about it, he wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important.

She had never really told any of them exactly what had happened, not even Cloud, just had given vague hints, and no one had ever questioned her.

Slowly she began to recount what had happened. It was difficult to talk about it, even now. After all this time of trying so hard to forget it, to force herself to remember was not a pleasent experience. When she got to the part where Jenova had entered her mind, she faltered.

Cloud placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right," he said softly. "It's over now, and I swear it'll never happen again. But I need to know this. Jenova entered your mind. Read your thoughts?"

Tifa nodded but said nothing.

Cloud stood next to her for a long time, thinking furiously. Finally Tifa looked at him.

"What's this all about, Cloud?"

He gave her a grim look.

"There's something odd about everything that's happened to us since we escaped from Darius. Tiny things. Things that taken my themselves would mean nothing, but when added together become very disturbing."

"What sort of things?" Tifa asked.

"First of all, how easily we escaped. We were in a city full of these Chadara creatures, once we got out of the sewers we walked blocks through a crowded city, yet we didn't come across one single Chadara."

"It was early morning," Tifa reminded him. "The sun wasn't even up yet."

"That's true," Cloud replied. "Taken by itself it's probably meaningless. But there's more. And it all has to do with Jinn."

"Jinn?" Tifa said in surprise. "What's he got to do with it?"

"I probably wouldn't even have noticed myself, except for something Aeris told me. While you were gone, Aeris was talking about Jinn, and she said he told her he felt bad that his parents had died, that it was a tragedy, but the took comfort from the fact that he had know them at all."

Cloud looked at her pointedly. Tifa just looked confused.

"So?"

"So," Cloud continued. "That's the exact words I once spoke to you. Remember, when Zangan died?"

Tifa stood there for a moment, deep in thought, and slowly the color drained from her face.

Cloud stepped closer to her.

"He looks like me, when I was young. You said so yourself."

He was right in front of her now.

"He knew your favorite color."

Tifa remained silent for a moment, her eyes growing very wide.

"Jenova had been trying for two thousand years to find the hidden generator," Cloud continued emotionlessly. "And for two thousand years they have failed. And then, literally out of the blue, we appear, with knowledge of what had happened, with clues to find the generator. We are a threat to them, they found that out from you. So why didn't they just kill us? Why did they suddenly decide to put us in a cell, a cell with a Cetra in it, no less, a cell that conviently had an escape route? Maybe it's not a coincidence Jinn looks like me. Maybe the pattern for his form was taken straight from your mind, because it was someone they knew you would be comfortable with, that you, that all of us, might trust."

"Oh God, oh God," Tifa said slowly, her head shaking back and forth, a look of shock on her face.

Cloud grabbed hold of her hand.

"The barrier Jinn told us about is probably fiction," he said. "Just a ruse to get away from us. Aeris is a Cetra, so he probably assumes she's his biggest threat. We've got to help her!"

Tifa did not protest as Cloud pulled her up. They both ran back to the others. Reno and Elena both looked at them in surprise.

"We think Jinn is one of the Jenova!" Cloud stated. "We're going in after them. If you want to help, go back down and guide Ellengio and the others up here as quickly as possible. We don't have any materia and I don't have my sword. It may be difficult to beat him so we can use all the help we can get. Hurry!"

"You want me to go back down after..." Reno began, but Cloud was already plunging into the cave entrance, Tifa on his heels, running as fast as they could and praying that they wouldn't be too late.


	28. The Cetra's Folly

CHAPTER XXVIII

THE CETRA'S FOLLY

"We can't take the chendu any higher," Vincent said.

Ellengio looked up at the slope above them. They had reached a relatively level plateau, but from this point on the mountainside grew steep. Vincent was right, they would have to continue on foot.

He slipped off his chendu. Vincent had already dismounted, and Cait and Altim followed suit. Nipala eyed the mountain above them dubiously.

"You're sure this is where we're supposed to be going, right?" she said.

Ellengio nodded. They had gone over this shortly after they had entered the valley. He had picked out the mountain with the appearance of a face on it and headed them that way without hesitation. He was on the right track, he was sure of it.

"I don't know whether Nipala and I can make it," Red said, looking up. "Though our four feet come in handy at times, climbing is not something they are particularly good for. Even with out claws, our paws cannot grip nearly as well as a human hand."

"We'll help you," Cait said reassuringly.

"We'll just have to do the best we can," Vincent said stoically.

"Well, if we're going, we better get to it," Altim said, looking up at the sky. "It's nearly dark. If we don't start now we'll never make it. I don't relish getting caught on the moutainside in the dark, even with our hands."

"He's right," Ellengio agreed. "Let's go."

They started up the slope, climbing carefully. They had made good time up to this point, but now the going became very difficult. Altim led the way, attacking the slope almost eagerly. He seemed to be a natural at it, finding handholds quickly and moving upward with almost reckless abandon. He would have quickly left the others in the dust had he not stopped periodically to wait for them.

Ellengio followed, climbing with a steadiness that belied his apparent age, though not nearly as well as Atlim. Red and Nipala followed, struggling with nearly every step. Vincent and Cait stayed right behind them, helping to steady them or boost them up whenever it seemed needed. Though they seemed to be going at a snails pace, they steadily worked their way upward.

Still, Ellengio kept looking back, prodding them whenever possible to keep moving as quickly as possible. The sun had already sunk below the horizen, and although it was still light, the western sky a brilliant play of orange, purples, and reds, he knew it would not last much longer. He estimated that they had less than an hour before it would be too dark to continue.

Ellengio looked up. He couldn't tell how much father they had to go. Atlim had pulled ahead again, and had dissappeared over an outcropping of rock ahead.

"Altim, can you see the top?" he called out.

There was no answer.

Ellengio frowned and pulled himself upward. The thought of falling was, of course, uppermost in their minds, but there were other threats here as well He suddenly realized just how vunerable and exposed they were on this mountianside.

He was about to shout again, when he heard a sound above him. It sounded like talking. For a second the thought Altim might be discussing soemthing with himself, but then he realized it was more than one voice.

Almost at the same time Altim's head suddenly appeared above a ledge over his head.

"Elleng..oh, you're right here," Altim said. At that moment Reno materialized beside Altim and looked down at him. Ellengio looked at them in surprise.

"We've got company," Atim said, unnecessarily now. "Reno and Elena are here. And Cloud and the others are up at the top. Hurry up!"

Ellengio looked down and saw Red and Nipala coming up behind him.

"Hurry up," he called out, then scrambled up over the top of the ledge.

"Where are the others?" Ellengio asked.

"They're inside," Elena said, pointing up the slope.

"Inside where?" Ellengio said.

"The cave," Elena replied.

"You've got to help them, they think Jinn..."

She was cut off as the others pulled themsleves up onto the ledge.

"I can't believe we're all here!" Cait exclaimed as they looked at each other.

Elena noticed Vincent as soon as he pulled himself up on the ledge. For a moment she saw him staring at her, then she turned to Ellengio once again.

"We've got to hurry," she said rapidly. "Cloud and the others are inside. We met a small boy on the way here. He claimed to be a Cetra, but now we think he's really a Jenova. He went in with Aeris, and Cloud thinks he's going to kill her and destroy the generator. We've got to stop him."

For a split second she could see the surprise in Ellengio's eyes, but then his face turned grim.

"Very well, there's not time to waste."

They started up the slope, headed for the door, but their progress was halted by an abrupt shout from Cait.

"What's that?"

They turned to see him pointing to the south. Looking in that direction they saw black dots in the sky, like a formation of dark birds.

Nipala stepped back to the ledge and stared at them for a moment.

"It's the Chadara," she said. "Dozens of them, all wearing some kind of silver."

"The Jenova guard," Ellengio said slowly. He could see them as well, and there was not doubt as to where they were headed.

"I guess this boy really must be a Jenova," he said. "And he's obviously alerted others."

Altim shadded his eyes and looked at the approaching Chadara.

"So what do we do?" he quesioned.

Ellengio looked slowly around at each of them.

"We'll have to hold them off," he said.

Reno was shaking his head slowly.

"There's too many of them," he said.

"There's no choice," Ellengio said. "There's no place to run. We can't give up the generator now."

He looked back at the entrance to the cavern.

"And the others are in there, fighting Jenova. I'm needed there, yet you are sorely outnumbered out here as well. The choices are all poor."

"Well we better make up our minds soon," Vincent said, the death penatly already in his hands.

Ellengio nodded.

"I know," he said. He looked at the approching Chadara one more time.

"If we can slay Jenova, there is a chance we may break the hold they have on the Chadara. I'm going to go help Cloud. The rest of you hold them off for as long as you can."

"Why do I get the distinct impression you're deserting a sinking ship?" Reno questioned.

"Oh shut up Reno," Elena said. "Would you rather go in there and face Jenova?"

Reno did not reply.

"Very well," Red said bravely.

Altim made a face.

"What if it doesn't work? What if you kill Jenova and it doesn't affect the Chadara. After all, there are other Jenova here."

"But none of them are nearby," Ellengio replied. "There are no guarentees, and perhaps no choice is a good choice. But it's too late now, we have to fight whether we want to or not, no matter what the odds."

"We're wasting time," Vincent stated.

Ellengio nodded. He took one last look at the approaching Chadara, then turned and made his way swiftly to the cave. A moment later he had dissappered inside.

"Reno and Elena, since you've got those Chadara weapons, you take the flanks. Cait and Red, you take cover behind those rocks in the center. You take tou any Chadara that reach the ledge. I'll take the center. Atlim and Nipala, you stay in the rear and help up whenever anyone gets in trouble. We don't have mucb time."

Reno gave Vincent a look that said 'who put you in charge', but he did as he was told. Each of them quickly found concealment among the rocks and ledges, then looked out to see the Chadara growing swiftly closer. Elena climbed up and wedged herself in a narrow crevice on the left side of the others, her position giving a clear view of Red and Cait down below, while concealing her as much as possible from the enemy. She could see Reno in a similar position on the other side. Any Chadara that landed on the ledge would be caught between them.

She turned to see where the others had positioned themselves and was startled to find Vincent standing right behind her.

"Do you have to sneak up like that?" she exclaimed. "I thought you were going to stay in the center. Shouldn't you get over there before the Chadara arrive?"

Vincent did mot reply, just stood there looking at her silently.

She waited for him to speak, but he said nothing. She frowned.

"Vincent, we don't have time for this. Do you want something or not?"

He was looking right at her now, that same old unreadable expression, the one she had seen so often in the past. So much had happened so quickly, she hadn't really had time to think about Vincent. She had never asked Cloud or the others about Vincent's reaction to her going over the cliff. Things had just been too hectic. Knowing Vincent, she wondered if he had shown anything at all.

"There's a chance we might not survive," he said finally.

"Thank you for pointing that out to me," she responded.

Vincent glanced again at the oncoming Chadara. They could be seen plainly now, flying swiftly toward them. It would only be a minute of two more before they were in range. He really had to get back to his position.

Yet still he found himself staring at Elena, his mind filled with conflicting emotions. He had been thinking a lot since he had been told that she was alive. All these years he had thought himself cursed, fated by the gods to suffer, because of what he had done, or failed to do. And, odd as it may seem, there was a certain nobleness to that. He was weak, just the shell of what was once a human, but he struggled on, against all odds, with no one to rely on but himself. In spite of everything that had happened to him, he endured. Odd as it may seem, there was a certain comfort in that. There was a kind of nobleness in a man struggling on, no matter what the odds, no matter how things were stacked against him.

But enduring, he was just now begining to realize, was not the same as living. He had always considered himself strong of spirit, and indeed, he must have been, to have even survived all that had happened to him. But in a way, believing that you were fated to suffer made things easy. It was a ready excuse for failure, or more importantly, for not trying in the first place. After all, why fight when you know you don't have a chance?

No, he wan't strong, he was really a coward. Hojo had done horrible things to him, but one thing he had always believed, that he was proud of, was that Hojo had never broken his spirit, had never completely subdued him. And yet, now he found himself questioning that assumption. Hojo had wanted him to suffer, and wasn't that exactly what was happening to him now? Had he bottled up his feelings, or had Hojo done it for him? Hojo hadn't made him less than human, he had done worse, he had made him give up the struggle to BE human. By believing he was fated to suffer, was he not just continuing to play Hojo's game?

Elena was alive. He could take that as a sign that his sufferingwasn't over yet, that the gods were still playing with him. That they were just once more building up his hopes, only to crush him once again, perhaps killing her in the very battle they were about to participate in.

Or...he could take it as a sign of hope. Perhaps it wasn't fate, perhaps it was just what Hojo had done to him, and now he had a chance, a chance to finally break free from the man once and for all, a chance to finally show how strong he really was. A chance to lay Hojo to rest, once and for all.

But in order to do that, he had to say something he never thought he would again.

Elena's blue eyes were locked on him, the puzzled expression still on her face as he slowly drew closer, unitl their faces were just a few inches apart.

"Are you okay?" Elena finally said. She had no idea what he was up to, but he was acting very strangely. She could only surmise that this was another one of his games, and they really didn't have time for it.

She opened her mouth to say just that, but he spoke first.

"I love you."

Elena's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"What?" she said, suddenly completely flustered. She couldn't help but doubt what she had just heard, even though it had been clear enough.

"I love you," he repeated. "I thought I lost you once, and that made me realize that I needed to say that because...well, I...I just wanted you to know."

He turned away, feeling embarrassed, another first, he had to admit, although even that felt good, somehow. Without another word he walked away, leaving Elena standing there with he mouth open. She stammered for words, but nothing came out. For perhaps the first time in her life, she found herself speechless.

A sudden streak of red light flashed in front of her, bursting into a ball of flame as it struck the rocks right beside Vincent, throwing him to the ground.

"Vincent!" Elena cried out.

For a moment he lay there, unmoving. For just a second Elena felt fear suddely runnig through her veins like ice. But then he pushed himself up, turning and firing the death penalty in the direction of the Chadara. There was a scream, and the creature fell from the sky. He turned to look at Elena.

"You jerk!" she yelled at him. "You better not get yourself killed now!"

* * *

"We'd better get going."

"Can't we wait just a little longer," Yuffie protested. "We've barely been here for fifteen minutes. We've been riding these stupid chendu for days now. My butt is so sore I think I'll never be able to sit again. I need more time to recuperate."

Zack scowled at her.

"According to Rohsnialu the valley is just beyond those moutains," he replied, pointing to the line of peaks that dominated the landscape to the north. "If we start now we should be able to reach the base of them by tonight, and then the valley early tomorrow."

"So?" Yuffie questioned. "Why don't we just stop here? What's the big rush?"

"I want to get there as quickly as possible," Zack replied. "We don't know when Ellengio is going to arrive. I want to get there before him, if possible."

"What difference does it make?" Yuffie said stubbornly. "He's the one with the crystal materia. He's the one who can turn on the generator. They really don't need us at all."

Zack's scowl mearly deepened.

"We don't know what kind of trouble they may run into," he stated. "They may need our help."

Yuffie looked unconvinced.

"Need our help with what? There's nothing..." she began.

"Mount up!" Zack cut her off, obviously fed up with arguing.

The others stood up to get their gear together. All except La Lai and Rude, where were sitting off to the side, with the Cetra notebook between them.

"Let's get going, the boss has spoken," Yuffie called over to them, casting a dark eye at Zack during the last half of the sentence.

Lai Li and Rude looked up.

"Wait," La Lai said.

"What?" Zack responded.

"Can we wait, just a bit?" she said. "I just want to finish this translation."

Zack frowned.

"I'd like to get to our destination as quickly as possible," he said. Was everyone going to give him a hard time?

Lai Li nodded.

"Of course, but this is important. It's information I'm sure you'll be interested in. It shouldn't take long."

Zack stood there for a moment, looking at them uncertainly.

"Well, what is it about, anyway?" he questioned. "Does it have a bearing on our mission?"

"Not directly," she replied after a moments pause. "But I still think you'll want to hear it."

Zack looked at the others. He made eye contact with Cid, who slowly nodded. Finally he sighed.

"All right, I guess we can wait a little longer."

Lai Li immediately went back to her translating. The others sat back down again, Yuffie muttering something about how it was fine for others to hold them up.

Zack did not sit down. He walked to the edge of their encampment and stood there looking at the mountains to the north, trying to judge the best way through. Every few minutes he would glance back at Lai Li impatiently, but she was engrossed in her translations, and did not notice him.

Roshnialu came up and stood beside him. Immediately he stopped his nervous pacing. He wasn't sure it if was a concious thing on her part, but her mere presense was a relaxing influence.

"Sonisbu," he said.

She smiled.

"Sonisbu," she said warmly. It meant good evening in Chadaran. They had been making a little bit of progress in the language department themselves. He had already learned about two dozen words. Pretty good, he thought, considering they didn't have all that much time for it, and the fact that Lai Li was usually too interested in her notebook to give them more than minimal help. Not that he minded. He enjoyed trying to decipher the words with Roshnialu. It was almost like a game between them, and she seemed to enjoy it too. They only tried to go to La Lai when they couldn't seem to figure out what the other was talking about, no matter how they tried to explain.

In a way, Yuffie was right, there was no rush and there really wasn't anything they could do. Both the Chadara and Jenova were far from here, and he had seen no indication that they were being hunted. He had no idea where this urge to hurry was coming from.

He glanced over at Roshnialu, who was looking thougthfully at the mountains in front of them. It was so strange, how he felt about her. He had never believed in love at first sight. He had know Aeris for some time before he had gotten up the courage to ask her out. Of course that was a long time ago. He had grown since then, but still. He had known Roshinalu for only a few days, yet he already felt he could spend his life with her. He had never felt like that before and he had to admit it was a bit scary. He wondered if the feeling would last or was just something that would pass. It just didn't make sense that he, that anyone, could fall in love that quickly.

But he had to admit he had never met anyone like Roshnialu. He cared for Aeris very much, but what he felt for her was not the same, not even back when they were together. He couldn't understand, but maybe it wasn't meant to be understood. Maybe it was just meant to be experienced and not analyzed. One thing was for sure, he didn't want to ever be parted from her.

He followed her gaze toward the peaks in front of them. Their destination was in sight. They would almost certainly reach it some time tomorrow. Ellengio might already be there. And once the task was completed, there would be nothing left for them to do but head home.

He found his hand reaching out and grasping Roshnialu's, almost without even thinking about it.

He didn't want to think about what might happen then. Could what he had found here all end so quickly? Could he go back to his own world, if she chose to remain? The thought had been nagging him on occasion for a while now, but he had not said anything. He had pushed it aside everytime. It was something he didn't want to think about.

Perhaps there was some merit to taking their time.

"Listen to this!" he heard La Lai call out.

The others quickly gathered round her, summoned by the urgency in her voice.

"This is one of the last entries," La Lai explained. "The generator is completed, but they hadn't realized at first just how much power it would need."

_"Disaster has struck. There is definitely a Jenova here. It has already attacked the Chadara, capturing Danong, one of my assistants, not very far from here. It's almost a certainty he will tell them everything. He is an excellent scientist and brave, but he will be no match for what Jenova can do to him. Danong knew everything, including the location of the lab, which means Jenova now does too. We do not have much time, and we do not have the manpower nor the weapons to fight. Even now I have the Chadara clearing out the lab. There can be no more research. I have to act now or it will be too late. Even worse, the generator is not complete. The power source, the final piece needed, is still being completed, and I doubt now it will be done in time. I have little hope. We have not heard from Rostalion or anyone from the planet in almost two days. I fear that it is too late there already, and Dal Centir has fallen. God help the Cetra left there now." _

_"And god help us too. I've decided to activate the generator, it will still work, though not perfectly, even without the main power source. I'm glad I at least had the foresight to hide the location of the generator. We will have to try to complete the crystal while in hiding, setting up a new lab someplace. It will be difficult, perhaps impossible, but it is all we can do." _

_"All is lost, yet I still find I cannot weep for my race. I pity them, but I feel disdain for their arrogance, which they clung to until the end. If only they had been more flexible, if only they had tried to reason with Jenova, instead of trying to sweep them under the rug, to wipe them out. There were so many chances to set this right, so much opportunity to turn the tide, to stop short of war, but no one had taken the first step. No one had been willing to accept any blame. Even after a thousand years we had stubbornly refused to accept the responibility for having created this new species." _

Yuffie let out and exclaimation of surprise, but she was quickly hushed by Zack. Even Barret seemed suddenly interested in what Lai Li was telling them.

_"We considered ourselves enlightened. We considered ourselves reasonable. The genetic experiments performed a thousand years ago that created Jenova, created them from out own species, have been soundly comdemned. It was a dark time for us, for our science, they say. Yet even now, a thousand years later, for all our elightenment, we still cannot look upon Jenova, our own creation, with anything but revulsion and comtempt. Since the moment their existence was divulged they were hunted down, locked away, never given a chance to lead a normal life. It is so much of a surprise that they wanted more, that they grew to hate us? They were different from us, and when they revolted it brought immediate hysteria. We feared they were out to destroy us, when all they really wanted was a chance. Funny how prophecy can be self fufilling. By pushing them away, by treating them as a threat that must be destroyed we turned them into exactly that." _

_"In all this time, have we ever tried to reason with them as equals? The idea would be anathema to most of us. With all our advancement, we still are blinded by our beliefs and our prejudice. At any time for the last thousand years we could have done something to change this, but we never once reached out. And now, finally, we are paying the price." _

_"Sometimes I wish I had been born sooner. Perhaps while there was still time, I could have made someone see what we were doing, and somehow prevented all this. There is no stopping it now, not with Jenova well on their way to victory. After a thousand years of fighting there is nothing more that can be done. To them, we will always be the destroyers." _

_"We have both been twisted by this war. I fear whatever concept of mercy and humanity the Jenvoa may have had have been torn from them. They may not have been an evil race once, but I can see by the way the treat the Chadara that they certainly are now. Whether that is our fault is moot. Now, for once, we must think of others. Our crimes will be double if Jenova is allowed to roam free, to spread to other planets, to take innocent lives. Perhaps if I can stop them here, I can command a small amount of redemption for our race." _

_"I don't know if I'll be able to write anymore entries in this journel. We have to move fast, and every step we take could be our last. I just hope we are not too late." _

Lai Li set down the notebook and looked at the others. For a long time no one spoke.

"I can't believe the Cetra created Jenova," Yuffie said finally.

Barret was just standing there shaking his head.

"This whole thing just keep getting crazier and crazier. I'd never have thought it would get this nuts though."

Cid stared off into space.

"Which means that Shinalynn is Jenova's home planet, as well as the Cetra," he said.

"This sure is going to come as a shock to Aeris, and Ellengio," Yuffie stated.

"Perhaps to Aeris," Zack mused. "Ellengio, I'm not so sure about."

"What do you mean?" Lai Li quesitioned.

"I'm not sure," Zack replied. "Now that I hear this, I can't help but remember how possessive Ellengio was to that book. It seems likely there was something about this in there."

"And he didn't want us to know?" Yuffie questioned. "But why?"

"Not sure. Pride in his species, perhaps. It's an embarrassing thing, what they did. It's not something you would want others to know about. Ellengio might be a Cetra, but that doesn't mean he doesn't suffer from the same sort of foibles that we humans do."

Lai Li gave him a long look.

"Do you think he could have been the one that erased that computer data?" she suggested.

Zack gave a swift jerk of his head.

"There's really no telling. That seems a bit exessive if he's only trying to protect his species. But who knows? He may just feel that strongly about it. On the other hand, there may be more to it that we don't know. And of course, we may just be letting our suspicions get the better of us, he might have had nothing at all to do with it."

He felt Roshnialu come up beside him again. She was looking at them with concern on her face. She may not be able to understand what they were saying, but she could clearly tell that something had upset them. He gave her a smile that he hoped was reassuring.

"I don't know whether this new information will have any bearing on our mission, but it still bothers me," Zack told the others. "I think the sooner we get to Meredith valley, the better I'll feel. Lai Li, is there anything more?"

The young linguist shook her head.

"All right then, we better get going. And this time for real. We're not going to reach the base of the mountains by dark, but I intend to press on until we do. I want to be in the valley tomorrow morning, no matter what it takes."

There were some groans from the others, but no one openly protested. Zack looked around. The shadows were deepening now, the sun just fallen below the horizen. Zack knew that riding on into the night would mean they would have little time for sleep, but he didn't care. Things were coming to a head, with or without them, and he wanted to be sure they were there, if anything untoward happened.

Quickly they gathered their belongings together. Zack was about to mount his chendu when he heard a warning cry from Amanda.

"Look!"

He turned, along with the others, and saw her pointing to the sky. For a moment he saw nothing, then he noticed the dark specks, low on the horizen to the south, moving slowly across the sky.

"Chadara!" he hissed.

Quickly he scanned the surrounding area. It didn't look good. There were precious few places to hide on the open plain. They were still too far from the moutains to find refuge there. The ground around them was mostly flat, the sparse vegetation the only break in the uneven plain, certainly nothing that would provide them with cover. Farther afield, to the northwest, he saw a what looked like a gully. He couldn't tell how large it was from here, but there was nothing else around.

"Over that way," he said, pointing. They quickly mounted up and started off in that direction, the slow pace of the chendu more infuriating than ever. But nothing they could do could prod them to move faster. Zack cursed under his breath and kept looking to the south. The figures were growing quickly, and now the individual figures of the Chadara could clearly be seen. They seemed to be passing to the east of them, but close enough that they could easily be spotted.

Finally, after agonizing minutes, they reached the gully. Once there Zack realized it was woefully inadequate. It was long and narrow and only about three feet deep, not nearly enough to conceal the chendu from view.

"What do we do now?" Barret asked, as they slid off their chendu. It was apparent to all of them that this would not do as a hiding place.

Zack looked around desperately, but there was nothing else around them.

"I don't know," he said. "There's no place to hide. We'll just have to hope they don't spot us."

Yuffie's frown showed him how much the others believed that would happen. He looked at the Chadara again. There were dozens of them. Way too many if it came to a fight.

"We'd be able to hide fine without the chendu," Yuffie said bitterly. "They're too damn big, and slow. I don 't know why we bothered with them in the first place."

Zack had to admit she had a point, but there was no use arguing about it now. He turned to look at the beast beside him. They were a dead giveaway.

He reached up and started to loosen the saddle.

"Take off their saddles," he said. "And all their equipment. Perhaps the Chadara will think they are wild."

A glance from Yuffie told him she didn't think much of that idea other, but the others started to pull on the saddles too.

Before they could finish, however, Roshnialu, who had been staring at the oncoming Chadara, suddenly leaped out of the gully, waving her arms and calling out.

"What the hell's the matter with her?" Barret shouted.

For a split second Zack almost paniked. His hand even came up to his sword, thinking Roshnialu might be betraying them. But then he lowered his hand. Barret stepped forward and Zack held out a hand to stop him. It was too late not to trust Roshnialu now. He could only assume these Chadara were not enemies.

"Tur don bontalis nu," Roshinalu said, turning to look back at her companions for a moment.

"They're friends," Lai Li said with relief.

A sudden change in direction of the Chadara made it apparent they had been seen. They were not far away at all now, and it only took them a few moments to glide down and land. Zack and the others found themselves completely surrounded. In spite of the reassurances, Zack felt his hand creeping toward his sword.

Roshinalu had stepped forward and was talking rapidly to one of the Chadara. Zack stared at him for a moment, a glint of recognition in his eyes. He was pretty sure that was the Chadara he had seen in Roshnialu's cave.

A second Chadara stood beside him, also involved in the converstaion. The others hung back silently.

Zack came up to stand beside Rosnialu, Lai Li with him.

"What's going on?" Zack asked.

Lai Li held up her hand, apparently waiting until she understood the whole story herself. It seemed a long time before she finally spoke.

"There was some trouble in Daris. It seems Ellengio was there, and had been captured by the Jenova guard. Some of the Chadara helped them to escape, and in the process some of the guard were killed. Something like that hadn't happened in hundreds of years, and there was no doubt Jenova would eventually find out, and make them pay. It seems that the incident has acted as a catalyst for some long held resentment, and some of the Chadara have decided it's time for a revolt. They seem to have taken our coming as a sign that the time was ripe. Even as Jenova demanded the rebels be turned over, and started a crackdown on the Chadara, they were planning. More Jenova guards were called in, but almost as soon as they arrived they suddenly all disappaered, heading north. Rono, an old Chadara who had spoken with Ellengio, knew he was headed for Meredith valley, and suspected that Jenova had somehow found out and was sending the guard to capture or kill them. These people have come to help prevent that."

"So they're here to help us fight?" Yuffie said.

"Exactly," Lai Li replied. "She pointed to the Chadara next to the one Zack had recognized. "This is Donalis. He's the leader of the group. He says they'll do whatever has to be done. They just want reassurance that we will help their people."

"Of course we'll do whatever we can," Zack replied immediately. "But it's not going to be easy to defeat Jenova. A lot of Chadara could get hurt or killed."

He paused for a moment as Lai Li translated. Zack could guess the meaning of the harsh reply.

"He doesn't care if it takes their lives," Lai Li said finally. "As long as their species can be free from Jenova."

Zack nodded grimly. This was better news than he could ever have wished for.

"Excellent," he said. "The first thing we need to do is get to Meredith valley as quickly as possible. If what they have said is accurate, the Jenova guards are ahead of them, which means they might already be there, and Elelngio and the people with him could be walking into a trap."

"That's fine and dandy," Yuffie said. "But we've still got a days travel to go. The Chadara can fly, and it would stupid for them to stay with us. They're going to have to go ahead, aren't they?"

Zack turned to look at her.

"Not exactly," he replied. He had seen the Chadara in action before. He knew how strong they were.

"Lai Li, ask the Chadara if they can take us to the valley."

Lai Li quickly translated.

She looked at Zack and nodded.

"What?" Yuffie said. "What are you talking about."

"We're not going to have to walk. The Chadara can carry us there. They flew off with Cloud and the others. They're perfectly capable."

Yuffie just stared at them for a moment, looking back and forth from Zack to the Chadara, then up in the air.

"You've got to be kidding," she said finally.

"What's wrong?" Zack asked. "You should be happy. All you've done this entire trip is complaing about the chendu, how slow they are and how much they stink. I would think you would be glad to be rid of them."

"Up there?" Yuffie said, looking up and ignoring Zack. "In the air, with just one of them holding me up? Not even a seat belt. Not even a seat??"

She slowly began to back away, shaking her head.

"No no, that's alright. I'll be perfectly happy to walk. You guys just go on without me."

"There's no other way to get there in time," Zack said. He turned to Lai Li and nodded. The linguest began talkig rapidly to the Chadara.

"I don't care if I'm a week late," Yuffie said adamaently. "You ain't gonna get me off the ground. There's no..."

She was suddenly cut off as a Chadara swooped down behind her and scooped her up. They heard a shill scream as the Chadara rapidly gained altitude.

"I'll get you all for this!" Yuffie shouted. "Oh GAWD!"

The Chadara rapidly climbed and headed to the north.

Zack turned to the others.

"Let's get going," he said. "With the Chadara's help we should be able to reach the valley in an hour. There's no time to waste!"

More Chadara flew down, picking up each of Zack's companions in turn. None of them protested as much as Yuffie, though some looked obviously unhappy. Amanda seemed to take it in stride, and being so light, her Chadara lifted her quickly into the air. They had to sturggle mightily with Barret, and finally a second one had to come along to assist. Roshnialu spread her wings and lifted herself into the air, even as Doanlis picked up Zack. the last of the group to leave the ground. He looked down to see the earth rapidly diminishing below him, then forward toward the mountains. Not far away he could see Lai Li and the Chadara that carried her.

"Tell them to hurry," Zack called out. "And whatever they do, to not fly below Yuffie!"


	29. Jenova Prime

CHAPTER XXIX

JENOVA PRIME

A single set of stairs led downward. Aeris led the way, her feet tapping softly on the steps. Jinn followed silently behind her. There were no turn offs, just the one staircase, going down and down and down, the occasional switchback the only interuption. Aeris had no idea how far they descended, but by the time they reached the bottom they must have been deep inside the mountain.

At the bottom they found a large room cut out of the earth. The walls seemed to be of native rock, yet they still gave off the dim glow of all Cetra structures. A faint humming sound filled the air. The chamber was quite large, perhaps ten meters wide and at least twice that in length. The far wall was concave, and set against it was a large silver device. The sound seemed to emanate from this, and there was no doubt in Aeris mind that they had found the generator.

She walked forward, staring at the machinery. Cetra machines were very rare. In spite of their technological achievments, they did not place a great emphasis on the use of artificial devices. Oh they had them, and used them on occasion, but only reluctantly. They prefered if possible to leave the world in it's natural state. As creatures finely tuned to the lifestream, the ripples caused by machinery made them uneasy, although no harm had ever come from it.

The instrument in front of them was quite large, the size of a small room itself. It filled the far end of the chamber. The base was in the shape of a flattened circle, with crystalline rods protruding to various heights from the top. As they came close she saw flat panels on the front, but that was the only sign of any controls. A human looking at it would have a hard time identifying it as a machine and not a work of abstract art.

Aeris stopped when she stood a few feet in front of it. The hum was quite loud now, and she could feel a faint vibration in the ground. She turned to see Jinn not far behind her, completely focused on the machine. A frown creased her brow. They had never run into the barrier he had mentioned.

"So this is it," Jinn said slowly.

Aeris eyebrows went up, and she felt a sudden chill. The words had not been in Cetra. She knew he was bright, but he couldn't possibly have learned that quickly, could he? And they had not been spoken hesitantly, as if newly learned. Instead they had been said with the ease of someone long accustomed to a language.

Then, as if a light switch had been flicked, she felt a sudden change. Like a cold wind gusting suddenly on an otherwise calm day. The aura she had felt from Jinn had always been weak, barely perceptable. She had assumed it was because he was so different from her. After all, she had been seperated from the Cetra here for over two thousand years. There was bound to be considerable differences between them by now. But now the aura was gone, replaced by another. Another aura that instantly made her skin crawl.

She opened her mouth to speak, an exclaimation of surprise, but it came out in barely a whisper.

"Jenova."

Jinn ignored her. He walked over and stood in front of the instrument, looking at it thoughtfully. Finally he turned toward her, a look of disdain on his face.

"After two thousand years of looking, we've finally found it," he said. "Ironic, isn't it, that a Cetra would be the one to lead me here."

Aeris took a step back, the full horror of what was happening closing in around her like a fist. Her mind reeled, realizing what they had done. All this time Jenova had been hunting in vain for the generator. All this time the Cetra and Chadara had managed to keep it hidden from them. And then they had come along, and within days had led Jenova right to the very object it had been seeking all these years. Ironic indeed, the bittter taste in her mouth was enough to choke on.

She looked at him, but his appearence had not changed. He was still the young boy, so innocent looking, so much like Cloud. The disguise had worked so well, that even now she found it hard to believe what he truely was. The apperence was obviously meant to do just that. It was frightening to realize just how well it had worked. She took a step back.

"How could this be?" she managed to stammer.

"It was a simple matter to hide my true self from one as young and naive as you," he said matter of factly. "You have no idea of the true power of Jenova. The older Cetra, Ellengio, would have been a bit more difficult, but fortunately, he was not around."

"What are you going to do?" Aeris said.

"What we have been trying to do for two thousand years," he replied. "Destroy the generator and free my people."

Aeris found herself holding the princess guard in front of her.

"I can't let you do that," she said.

Jinn did not seem to think much of her threat. He didn't even seem to be paying any attention, as if her presense was not worthy of his notice.

"I'm well aware of that," he replied. "But don't worry, when I destroy it, you won't feel bad about it."

Aeris raised one eyebrow.

"Oh, and why would that be?"

Jinn looked at her now, a wolfish grin of his face.

"Because my dear, but the time I destroy the generator, you won't be feeling anything at all."

Suddenly his arm shot out. She seemed well out of his reach, but his limb seemed to stretch, lashing out at her. With a swift twist of her rod, she batted it aside.

"You'll have to do better than that!" she exclaimed.

Jinn laughed, a deep rumble, a sound that seemed impossible from the young man in front of her.

"I'm not ready to kill you just yet," he said. "I'm curious about something. These other creatures with you, the 'humans'. They are so weak, why have you allied yourself with them?"

"Why should I answer any of your questions?" she said.

"Indulge me," he said graciously. "You may live longer. But don't get any ideas of them coming to your rescue. They are even more easily decieved than you. The simple ruse of an imaginary barricade was all it took, but in case they become suspicious, there is another surrpise. The Chadara guards have already been alerted and are on their way. They may even have already arrived by now. They should be more than a match for your motley crew, and keep them from interrupting our lovely conversation."

Aeris hid the fear she felt at his words well.

"They may be stronger than you think."

Jinn's hand stuck at her again, this time aimed at her leg. She dodged out of the way, her rod coming down again, but he drew back before she could strike.

"No," he said. "They are not. There is not even a question about it. I have reached into one of their minds, remember? I know everything about you. All your strengths, all your weaknesses. They may put up a noble fight, but they will be defeated, just as you will be. What merit do you see in them?"

"They are my friends," she replied.

"They are not your species. Or perhaps it is because you are half human. Do you feel you own them alligence because of that? I would have thought the Cetra in you would be more dominant."

"See that?" she said. "You don't know everything about us."

She leaped forward, swinging her rod quickly. For an instant Jinn stood there, taken by surprise by her sudden attack. But before the rod could make contact he twisted out of the way. His arm shot out again, striking her side and knocking her down. She sprang to her feet almost immediately, but Jinn made no attempt to follow up.

"It doesn't matter what species they are," she said. "They are my friends."

Jinn slowly circled around her. She kept turning to face him, the princess guard ready.

"This makes no sense to me," he said. "How can another species be your friend? Their interests and yours are not the same. When they conflict, they will turn against you."

Aeris shook her head.

"No they will not," she said.

Jinn eyed her curiously.

"No?" he said. "This one they call Tifa. Is she your friend?"

"Of course," Aeris replied.

"She knew you had feeling for this Cloud person, yet she wanted him for herself. She took him from you. Is this the way of friends?"

"She loved him more than me," Aeris said. "And he loved her. I cared for Cloud very much, I still do, but it was not the same as how she felt for him. I'm happy for both of them."

Jinn slowly shook his head.

"She took what you wanted, and you are pleased with this? This friendship concept is becoming more and more confusing. She is jealous of you, you seem to realize this, but you don't mind. It seems they get all the benifits and you get nothing."

"They stood by me as well," she replied. "They revived me from the lifestream. That is what friendship is all about."

Jinn suddenly lunged forward. Aeris brought her rod up, but he ducked underneath, slamming against her knees, and knocking her down again. Even as she fell the princess guard swung around, striking Jinn on the shoulder and knocking him back. She jumped to her feet again, feeling a sharp pain in her left knee.

"The one you call Cloud, he was the one that led the others on that journey. Yet his reasons were to redeem himself. He had promised to be your bodyguard, and he failed. He didn't revive you for your benifit, he did it for his own sake."

Now it was Aeris turn to shake her head.

"You can twist anything around, make anything anyone does appear to be for selfish reasons. That doesn't make it true."

"And what about your reasons, Aeris. What are you fighting for?"

"That's simple," she replied. "To stop you."

"And why do you wish to do that?" he questioned.

"You're already destroyed my homeworld," she replied. "I won't let you destroy my adopted one as well."

Aeris stepped forward and swung her rod again. Sparks flew as it struck the ground where Jinn had been a moment before.

"We destroyed your homeworld?" he said. "I think not. It was your people who bear the responsibility for that."

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

"I see you have forgotten your own history," he replied. "Perhaps the truth was never handed down to you from those who left. It wouldn't be surprising."

Jinn lunged again. Aeris dodged once more, somehow finding a way to remain on her feet this time, but her counterblow missed again.

"No, they probably did all they could to hide the truth. The fact that your own people were the one's who created us. That they thought of us as freaks, stripped us of all our dignity, all our rights, and hid us away. We were a mistake, but we were a mistake that could think, that could feel. We had done nothing wrong, had only come into the world at your people's bidding, yet we found ourselves opressed, treated as worse than slaves.

Aeris could not hide the surprise in her eyes at this.

"That's not true," she said.

"Oh but it is," he replied. "I have no reason to lie about that. All we ever asked for was a chance, all we wanted was to live in peace, but your people never gave us that chance. You created us, and then tried to take everything away from us, and when we revolted, when we refused to be swept under the rug, you tried to destroy us."

"No," Aeris said. This had to be another lie, just another ploy to get her to doubt herself, her people. He was trying to take away her will to fight, but she wouldn't fall for it. "Why should I believe anything you say?"

"This is common knowledge to every Jenova, and to the Chadara too, as it was to the Cetra before they were finally exterminated. You see, they underestimated us. They thought because we were different, because our outward appearence was not pleasing to them, that we were inferior. They never took us as a serious threat, and that was their greatest mistake. They nearly wiped us out, and when our turn came, we were not merciful. No, it is your race that was the cause of all this misery."

"It's a lie!" Aeris snapped.

She struck again, so quickly that her rod was just a blur. Jinn dodged, but the princess guard managed to strike him a glancing blow on his right shoulder. Aeris swung again, but his arm came up, blocking the blow. His other hand came around, grabbing her rod and nearly tearing it from her grip. She managed to hold to it, but stumbled back.

"It is not!" he retorted. "It was your race that started all this. It was your race that tried to wipe us from the face of your planet, that started the war. We were just trying to defend ourselves."

Aeris had been slowly backing up, and now she felt the far wall behind her back. She didn't believe what Jinn was telling her, but even if it was true, it wasn't going to change anything.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "That happened thousands of years ago, on a planet that I've never known. There's nothing I can do to change that. All I know is, the people who are with me, they never did Jenova any harm, yet you went to their planet and tried to subjugate them. I'm not here to defend my race, I'm here to stop you from hurting them."

"How noble of you," Jinn replied, grinning mercilessly. "It might be interesting to try to understand what you see in them, but I have more important things to do. I kept you alive this long because I wanted you to know the truth about your race, about what they did to us, before you died. But now the game is over."

He sprang at her, so quickly there was no chance to dodge. Aeris only had time to bring her rod up, but Jinn was not holding back this time, he slammed into her with the force of a truck, knocking her arms away and her whole body back to slam against the wall. She cried out in pain as the princess guard clattered to the ground. She found herself pinned against the wall, Jinn's hand wrapped around her thoat.

She struggled desperately, striking out at Jinn with her hands and feet, but nothing she did seem to phase him. She tried forcing them to the side, nearer to her rod, her hand clawing desperately for it, but it remained elusively beyond the reach of her fingers. As she grew more desperate for air her attack became more savage. One of Jinn's arms held her neck, the other had her right arm pinned, but her left arm was still free, and she beat on Jinn furiously, finally clawing at him. She kicked at him with her legs, so hard that she felt her own bones would snap, but she didn't think about that. The only thing on her mind was fighting frantically for a breath of air. But now matter how she struggled, she couldn't break his iron grip on her thoat. She began to feel light headed, and she realized she was only moments from passing out.

Was this how it was all to end, the thought flashed through her head. Had she been revived, saved from death only to have it all end here, far from home, at the hands of Jenova. It all seemed so pointless!

A blast reverberated through the room. Jinn was knocked away from her, and she fell to her knees, gasping for air. She looked up to see Reeve standing in the doorway. Even as she did so he fired his shotgun a second time.

Jinn was knocked to the floor, his body deforming from the damage caused by the shot. But almost immediately it shifted back into place.

"Reeve, get out of here!" Aeris yelled.

"Are you all right?" he called out.

"Yes," she replied. "Go, warn the others!"

"I'm not leaving without..."

He was cut off as Jinn extended is arm, striking Reeve in the midriff, forcing the wind out of him and knocking him to the floor.

"So you saw past my little ruse," Jinn said. "Perhaps you humans are a bit more clever than I gave you credit. But what is it your people say, curiousity killed the cat?"

He struck again, even as Reeve was getting to his feet. Aeris winced at the fiercness of the blow, which sent Reeve spinning backwards across the floor.

Jinn stepped forward and grabbed hold of Reeve, picking him up like a rag doll.

"I'll teach you to interfere with your betters," Jinn snapped. He lifted Reeve over his head, about to throw him once more at the wall, but then glanced over at Aeris. Her head was bowed, her eyes closed, her forhead creased with concentration. A white glow seemed to surround her body.

Jinn dropped Reeve, and lept at her, moving faster than seemed possible. His leg shot out, catching her in the chest and slammed her back against the wall.

"We'll have none of your Cetra tricks," he snarled.

Aeris pulled herself to her knees, her head spinning, her concentration broken. Blood trickled from the side of her mouth.

Another blast from Reeve's shotgun made Jinn stumble again. He turned around to see Reeve standing unsteadily not far away, a look of defiance on his face.

"Leave her alone!" he exclaimed.

"My, you are persistant," Jinn said.

Without even looking behind him his arm swung out, striking Aeris in the side of the head an knocking her down once again. Jinn then folded his arms across his chest.

"So what are you going to do about it?" he challenged.

Reeve fired a second blast, hitting Jinn full in the stomach. Jinn took a step back, a grimace crossing his face, but other than that, the blast seemed to have little effect.

"You know," he said, "that's really starting to annoy me."

Reeve ran forward. Jinn's arm shot out again, grabbing hold of Reeve and stopping him in his tracks. Reeve fired again, at point blank range, but the click of the hammer was the only response.

Jinn pulled Reeve close and stared into his face.

"Looks like your toy has lost it's bite," he said.

Reeve struggled for a moment before realizing that it was useless. He looked at the gun again, then at Jinn.

"Don't bet on it," he said.

Suddenly he drove the barrel forward with all his strength, right into Jinn's face. With a grunt Jinn stumbled back, letting him drop to the floor.

With a roar of anger Jinn lunged for him again. Reeve tried to dodge out of the way, but Jinn was too fast, wrapping an arm around Reeve's leg. Jinn swung him around and flung him across the room again. He tumbled to the floor beside Aeris, who was herself just struggling to her feet.

Jinn walked toward them.

"Now that you're both together, you can say goodbye to one another."

Reeve put a hand on Aeris shoulder to steady her, looking at her closely. She tried to give him a reasuring smile, but he could tell by the blood on her face and the way she was breathing that she was badly hurt. He turned back toward Jinn, burning with impotent rage. His shotgun was on the other side of Jinn, a few feet that was as good as hundred miles. With the shotgun he could have at least caused Jinn some discomfort, with no weapon, he knew there was little he could do.

Aeris, in spite of her pain, stepped forward, rod raised in defense. Jinn's hand shot out, as if swatting away an annoying mosquito, and the princess guard flew from her hands.

"It's time to..." he stopped and turned suddenly toward the stairs. Cloud stood there with the Chadara weapon in his hands, Tifa right beside him.

Jinn sighed.

"Looks like I've wasted way too much time," he muttered. "Where's the rest of your little crew?"

"On the way," Cloud replied. "With reinforcements."

Jinn looked at Cloud dubiously.

"Not likely," he said. He walked over by the machine, turning so they were all in front of him.

"Looks like I've underestimated you," he said. "Perhaps you humans aren't as weak as I'd supposed."

He paused and looked at them all thoughtfully.

"But you know," he continued. "There really is no reason for us to fight. You humans are not Jenova's enemy. We really have no interest in your little planet. There are plenty of others out there. In fact, it might even be possible for our two species to interact in a way that's benificial for both of us."

Cloud frowned.

"I think it's a little to late for that," he said. "Jenova has already come to our planet, and shown by their actions that they cannot be trusted. They tried to make slaves of us all. We're certainly not going to take your word for it that it won't happen again."

"We only turned against you humans when you allied yourself with the Cetra," Jinn replied. "With the losing side. It's still not too late to change your mind. There are many benefits to working with us instead of against us."

Cloud laughed humorlessly.

"Said the spider to the fly," he retorted. "No, we've seen your idea of benefits. We're not going to be taken in. What, suddenly you're outnumbered and you want to negotiate?"

Jinn's hand shot out again. Cloud leaped to the side, just barely avoiding the blow. He brought the Chadara weapon up.

"Outnumbered by the likes of you is hardly outnumbered," Jinn said, looking at Cloud with disdain. "I was merely making a good faith effort to give you a chance to join the winning side. As I said before, Jenova and humans have no need to fight. Any reasonable creature knows that peaceful cooperation is better than fighting."

"Give it up, Jinn," Reeve said. "No one's going to join you. If you're going to win, you're going to have to beat us all. And even if we lose, we're not going to make it easy for you."

"Oh really?" Jinn said. He paused for a minute, looking at them closely again. "That's very foolish of you. There are many things Jenova can give you. Have you ever once even stopped to look ahead, at what life has in store for you? I don't think so. You walk through life, the whole time with your eyes closed, because you are afraid. Let me open them for you for just a minute. Let me show you what life has planned for you, if you continue on your current course."

Reeve frowned, not understanding what Jinn was talking about, thinking this was just some kind of delay tactic. A strange mist seemed to form in front of his eyes. Although he felt no pain, he tried to cry out a warning that Jenova was lauching some kind of attack, but he seemed to have lost the power to speak. The room seemed to be fading away around him, as if her were falling asleep while wide awake. For a moment he felt panic rising up in him, but then his vision came back into focus. He looked around slowly. He was no longer in the generator chamber beneath the mountain. He was in another place, a place he recognized immediately. It was Aeris church in Ifalnia.

Standing beside the alter, only a few feet from him, was Aeris. A pink bow held her hair, but her dress was white and sleeveless, perfectly offseting her slender arms. Light was streaming through the window above the alter, falling on her like a mantle, producing a visible aura that shined all around her. Her back was toward him, her long chestnut brown hair glowing in the radiance. Though she was standing, her head was bowed, as if in prayer. He couldn't help but smile. She was a vision, closer to an angel than anything on earth.

As if sensing his presense she turned toward her. For a moment their eyes met, and for the first time he felt a hint of uneasiness. Her face was stern.

"I'm leaving you," she said.

It was as if someone had driven a knife into his stomach. He looked at her face, but she was gazing past him, as if looking at something he couldn't see.

"I've thought about it for a long time," she continued. "I realize now that this was a mistake. I've tried to make it work, I really have, but the truth is, we are just too different. I thought I loved you, but I realized some time ago that I was just fooling myself. You know how I felt when I was younger, I didn't have the heart to hurt anyone. It was because of that that I told you I loved you. I've tried to make it work since, out of loyalty, but I can't do it any longer. I can't keep fooling myself."

Reeve took a step toward her, and was surprised to see her step back.

"Aeris, please..." he began, but she held up her hand.

"It's too late to say anything," she said. "This has been a long time coming. You don't know how many sleepless nights I've spent over it. Maybe it's me, maybe because I'm weak. I need someone strong Reeve, someone who can take care of me. Someone who can hold me in their arms and I can feel safe. You're not that person, Reeve, much as you try to be. I made a mistake, I admit it, but is it right to have to pay for it the rest of my life?"

Reeve stared at her, too stunned to reply. Was this the Aeris he knew, the one who was so kind, so loving to everyone and eveyrthing she met? He had never heard her speak like this, never heard her complain or say a bad word about anyone. But now he looked into her eyes and saw the face of a stranger. How could she have changed so much and him not notice?

"Aeris.. it...it doesn't have to be that way. We can work it out, I can change," he stammered.

She shook her head.

"No," she said. "It's too late. You can't change who or what you are, no matter how much you try. I know you care, but sometimes even caring isn't enough. There's been an emptyness inside me my whole life, and emptyness that can't be filled. I'm searching for something, and I don't know what it is."

"I'll help you search for it," Reeve managed to say, despite the dryness of his throat.

"You can't," she said. "All you can do is hold me back. I need to fly free Reeve. Maybe it's because of my Cetra blood, I don't know, but I can't stay here with you, and you can't come, because if you do, I'll never be able to find what I'm looking for."

Reeve shook his head slowly, not knowing what to say, thinking desperately for anything, any words that might make her change her mind. She was his whole life, didin't she realize that? He couldn't bear the thought of living without her.

"I can't believe you can say this to me, after all we've been through..."

"It's not easy for me, but I have to," she replied. "I was afraid it would be difficult for you to let go. I was going to just leave without talking to you, but Elmyra said you deserved at least this, and I suppose it's true. But there's no sense in dragging it out any longer. I have to leave Reeve. I have to leave now."

And with those words she stode purposefully past him. She held her head rigid, not looking back, while Reeve felt his heart breaking.

"Aeris, please don't leave me!" he called out, his voice filled with anguish.

She hesitated for just a second, one foot faltering. But then she resumed her walk, each step filled with resolve. A moment later she was gone, and Reeve felt his world crashing down around him. His face pale, his breathing shallow, he stood there as the only thing that was ever important to him walked out of his life forever.

"Aeris!" he called out. His mind screamed to run after her, to stop her. This couldn't be real. He couldn't let her go, it couldn't be too late. She couldn't have stayed with him all this time without feeling something for him. There had to be a way to make her see that. There had to!

He ran to the door, stopping as he stepped outside, looking down the road quickly. There were many people strolling by this time of day, some of them stopping to look at him curiously. He ignored them, looking around helplessly. He had only hesitated a few moments, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Aeris!" he yelled, not caring who else might hear, or what they might think. "Aeris, where have you gone? Come back, come back to me. Please!"

There was no answer but the echoes of his own voice. He found himself falling to his knees in anguish. He buried his face in his hands, the torment in his heart unbearable. She was gone, and she had left only despair.

* * *

Aeris looked around, a curious expression on her face. Her sourrounding had changed dramatically. She was in her church, her church in Ifalnia. She was alone, the others had vanished along with Jinn and the room they had stood in. A light caught her attention. She looked at the window to see the flickering yellow glare of fire outside. She could hear the rumble and shouts of a crowd.

She frowned, wondering what was going on. Along with the shouts she could hear screams and the clash of weapons. There was a battle going on outside, a battle in Ifalia. How could that be?

She took a step toward the window, but stopped and turned toward the door as someone entered. She saw Elmyra looking at her.

"Mother, what is going on?" she questioned, running over to her.

"You have to leave, Aeris," Elmyra said slowly.

Aeris frowned. It didn't take her Cetra senses to see that Elmyra was extremely upset.

"Leave? Why?"

"You know why," Elmyra said quickly. "I know you said you would never leave. I know you've done nothing wrong, but you have to go. It's the only way we can save what's left of Ifalnia."

Aeris looked at her, bewildered and shocked at her words.

"I don't understand," she said. "What is happening?"

Elmyra shook her head.

"I know it doesn't make sense. I'm so sorry it had to come to this. I remember how thrilled you were to come back here, to repopulate the ancient Cetra city, the city of your people. I remember how filled with hope we all were. I remember when you completed this church, and how you said it would be a place of healing, and how you made it exactly that."

Elmyra looked around with a helpless expression.

"But even then there was talk. Rumors from other cities, about how it had been thought the Cetra were gone, and that it was better that way. How this was not the Cetra's planet, and that they had no right to be here. No right to spread non human customs, no right to spread their own brand of religion."

Aeris shook her head.

"You know it wasn't like that," she said. "Everyone who joined us came of their own free will."

Elmyra nodded.

"Of course," she said. "But that didn't matter to them. By rebuilding the City of the Ancients you were challenging them, whether you meant to or not. They began spreading rumors about us, about the Cetra. There was some concern, but you told us to ignore them, that it was only talk."

A loud explosion from outside made them both flinch.

"But talk can be a very powerful thing," Elmyra continued. "Even outright lies can begin to be believed, if no one stands against them. I know you were only trying to do the right thing, I know you were trying to stay above the fray, but without a voice to champion our cause, city after city turned against us. But even the most pesimistic of us never thought it would come to this, that they would gather together and attack us without warning."

Aeris brought her hand up to her chest, her face pale.

"How could this happen..." she said softly.

"I'm sorry, Aeris," Elmyra replied. "I know you only wanted to help people. I know you wanted to make Ifalnia a city of healing. But you didn't count on the jealousy and pettiness of others."

Aeris slowly walked over to the window, hardly believing this could be happening. She looked out to see people running by. Another explosion rocked the street, throwing some of those outside to the ground. Some got up and started running again, others remained still.

Was this the result of her dreams? Was this what her legacy would be? More killing, more death, and all because of her?

"We're hopelessly outnumbered," Elmyra said urgently from behind her. "It's just a matter of time. You have to leave, there's no other choice. Cloud told me to get you out of here, before..."

Aeris turned around, a stab of fear entering her heart at Elmyra's sudden hesitation.

"Before?" she questioned. "Before what?"

Elmyra did not speak for a few moments, just stood there in silence. A silence that was deafening.

"They...they tried to make a stand down by the lake," she said, seeming to force the words from her mouth. "But the line didn't hold. Cloud went to their assistance, to help stem the breakthrough."

Elmyra faltered again. She lowered her head.

"He was killed," she said. "Torn apart by the mob. There were just too many..."

She couldn't go on. Aeris stood as if turned to stone. It was impossible. Elmyra had to be mistaken.

"No," she said. "I don't believe it."

Elmyra took a deep breath and lifted her head.

"You have to be strong," she said. "Many terrible things have happened, but you don't have time to grieve now. With his last breath he bought you some time. Don't waste it."

Aeris didn't know what to do, what to say. She felt tears stinging her eyes. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She stepped forward, flinging her arms around her mother. Elmyra cried out in pain and stepped back. Aeris looked at her in shock. She glanced down at her hands and saw they were stained with blood.

"Mother!"

"It...it's all right," Elmyra said, and for the first time Aeris realized that her halting speech was not from grief alone. "Don't be concerned about me. You've got to save yourself."

"Oh mother," Aeris said again, her heart pounding in her chest. She had thought her world shattered that there could be fighting in the streets of her beloved city. But now, Cloud dead, her mother...this was worse than she could comprehend.

"I can't leave without you," she said, her voice filled with anguish.

"You must," Elmyra said, and suddenly she stumbled, and would have fallen had not Aeris been there to steady her. For the first time Aeris noticed how pale her face was, and the laboring of her breath. Even with Aeris support, she slowly sank to the ground.

"You must go," she repeated, looking up at Aeris with pleading eyes. "Hurry. Leave me. It's your only chance to save yourself."

Aeris shook her head, trying to protest, but no words came out. There were no words to describe the grief that filled her. She pulled her mother closer to her, holding her, squeezing her tightly, as if by doing so she could protect her.

"You've got to hold on," she whispered. "Please mother. I need you."

The shouts outside were louder now, sounding as if they were coming from the street right outside. But Aeris was no longer listening. She clutched her mother, thinking of nothing else, listening to her soft breathing, feeling the faint rise and fall of her chest against her own body, until it went still.

Aeris pulled her mother closer still, sobbing uncontrollably. It was too late, too late for everything. All her plans, all her dreams had come to naught. She had been resurrected, had been given a second chance, and had ended up destroying everything she held dear. How she wished it had never happened. How she wished she had never been born!

Her mother's body slid to the floor. Aeris fell upon it, her bitter tears mixing with her mother's blood, knowing this death would torment her for the rest of her short and miserable life.

* * *

"Push!"

Tifa blinked in the stark light. A figure stood in front of her, a tall man, a white lab coat, the details lost in the glare of the lights around her. She was lying down, sweat covered her brow. She felt exhausted, and in pain.

There were others nearby, she realized as her eyes focused. Two women in white uniforms. Nurses? She blinked again, turning her head to cut down on the glare. She was in a hospital room, but what were they doing to her?

She felt a wave of pain course through her unexpectedly. She cried out and felt a hand grip her arm. She turned the other way to see Cloud looking down at her.

"Just hang in there a little bit longer Teef. It's almost over."

The waves of pain coursed through her, welling up from her abdomen. The doctor bent down, his hands under the surgical gown that partially covered her.

"C'mon, push, keep it up!" he said.

Tifa's hand clamped down on Cloud's arm as the pain increased. She looked from the doctor to the nurses back to Cloud, who was smiling at her reassuringly.

My god, she thought, I'm in labor!

"Breathe!" she heard Cloud say.

She realized that she had tightened up her muscles, straining against the pain. She tried to will herself to relax, but it was difficult. She found herself wishing it would stop, telling herself that if she held on for a moment more, the contraction would subside, but long minutes seemed to drag by, and there was no end to it. How much longer could this torture go on? She found her fingers digging deeper into Clouds arm.

"Oh god I can't take it," she said through clenched teeth.

She felt Cloud run a cool rag across her brow.

"Just a little longer," she heard him say.

Tifa gritted her teeth and held on. The cool cloth had helped just a little, but the pain had not subsided. She tried to think about something besides the pain, to abstract herself from it, but it was no good. She couldn't focus on anything else. And then suddenly, as fast as it had come, the pain began to diminish.

She let out a puff of air, falling back onto the bed. Even with Cloud keeping her cool, her whole body was drenched in sweat.

"They don't call this labor for nothing," she managed to gasp out.

Cloud smiled and patted her arm reassuringly.

"It shouldn't be too much longer now," she heard the doctor say. "Let's see if everything is postitioned properly."

He bent down, disappearing from her view, but she could feel him.

She looked at Cloud, and in spite of her pain and exhaustion, managed to smile at him.

"We're having a baby," she said.

Cloud nodded.

"Ow!"

She looked down to see the doctor jerk backward, clutching his hand.

"What is it?" one of the nurses said.

The doctor stood there for a moment looking at his hand with a frown on his face.

"I don't know," he finally said. "Something sharp cut my finger."

"What?" the nurse said. "How could that be?"

The doctor shook his head.

"I don't know," he said slowly.

"What's going on?" Cloud asked.

The doctor looked over at him and shrugged.

"It's nothing," he said. Then he looked at Tifa. "Everything's fine. Just keep it up."

Before anyone could say anything more Tifa felt another contraction coming on. Again she tried to get herself to relax, and again it proved impossible. This one seemed to go on even longer than the one before. She tried to stay calm, she tried to relax, she tried to breathe, but soon she found her muscles tightening, in spite of all she could do. She clenched her teeth again, awash in pain. It was agnozing, excrutiating, and it went on and on.

She turned toward Cloud, a look of desperation on her face.

"The pain," she managed to say between gasps. "I can't stand it."

Cloud looked over at the doctor.

"Isn't there something you can give her?" he asked.

The doctor seemed preoccupied.

"It won't be much longer. We've come this far, let's just try for a little bit more," he managed to say.

Cloud looked doubtfully at Tifa. Her face was red and he could see the agony in her eyes. Tifa grabbed his arm once again and shook her head.

"There's something wrong," she said, in tears now. "This can't be normal. It can't hurt this much!"

Cloud looked at the physician again.

"You've got to help her!" he demanded. "She's in pain."

"A few seconds more," the doctor replied, engrossed in what he was doing. "I'll try to help you along."

He bent forward again. Tifa just stared up at the ceiling, trying to endure the endless agony for as long as she could. How long had this contraction been going on now? It seemed like forever. It had to end soon. It just had to! She felt like she wanted to scream.

And then she heard one.

One of the nurses stood with her hands over her mouth, a look of horror on her face. The other was the one who had screamed. There was a crash as a tray fell to the floor. The doctor jerked back, crying out and clutching his hand again. Tifa felt something wet splash across her face. She could see blood flying from the doctors hand, runninig from the spot where two of his fingers had been.

The nurse screamed again, then scambled back, stumbling for the door. The other one stood rooted in place. The doctor was just looking at his hand in shock. She heard an exclamation from Cloud beside her. For a moment she felt relief from the pain as shock overcame it.

"What is it?" she shouted. "What's happening?"

But even as she spoke, she knew. It was the Jenova cells, the cells that inhabited Cloud's body. They had done something to their child, something horrible. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, as if it would burst forth at any moment. Suddenly the pain returned, for one searing moment she felt as if her flesh were on fire. Before she realized what she was doing or had a chance to stop herself she screamed in pain. Then the pain was gone, replaced by a dull ache. She felt something wet slither along her leg. And then a grey slime covered tentacle slid into view from beneath her hospital gown.

Her head fell back, and she screamed and screamed and screamed.

* * *

"Are you almost ready?"

Cloud rubbed his hand against his chin, looking critically at it the mirror. After a moment he decided a shave wasn't necessary.

"I'll be done in a minute, Teef!" he called out.

He stepped back, getting a view of his whole body from the waist up. He stopped for a moment to adjust his belt buckle.

"I thought it was the woman who was supposed to take forever," he heard coming from the other room.

He grinned but did not reply. It was her fault really. If anything was out of place, she was sure to mention it and straighten it out for him. He knew she just wanted him to look his best, but it was still a bit annoying at times to have someone fuss over you like that. Just one of her little quirks. He couldn't complain though, he had plenty of those himself, and she managed to put up with all of them. He ran his hand quickly through his unkept hair. At least she had never tried to change that. She seemed to know that that would be going over the line, and besides, he had a feeling she kind of liked it that way.

He opened the medicine cabinet and took out his toothbrush, brushing his teeth quickly. He turned on the water and rinsed out his mouth. He had just turned off the water when he noticed something in the sink. It was a single strand of hair, right beside the drain. He probably wouldn't have noticed it at all, except that Tifa usually kept the place so clean. If it would have been a blond hair, he would have just assumed it was his own, but it wasn't blond, nor brown either.

It was silver.

He reached down and picked it up, standing up straight and eyeing it carefully. A frown slowly creased his forehead. He and Tifa were too yojng to be going grey. They hadn't had any visitor's lately, not since Cid and Shera had been over three days ago, and neither of them had grey hair.

It was then he heard a sound that made him freeze in place. It was faint, barely to be heard, yet it was very distinct.

It was the sound of laughter.

He turned around quickly. Though the sound had been faint, he got the distinct impression the source was very close to him, perhaps even in the same room, but he looked around, and the bathroom was empty.

He felt the hair rising on the back of his neck. He stood there for a long time, completely still, just listening, but the sound did not repeat itself. Finally he shrugged.

"Must be just my imagination," he muttered.

He turned and put the toothbrush back in the cabinet. As he shut the door he heard it again, plainly now, as the speaker was standing right behind him. He jerked and turned around quickly, fists ready.

The room was empty. His eyes darted around the room. There was no way that could have been his imagination.

"Tifa?" he called out, though he knew she could not possibly be the source. It was a man's voice. An eerily familar one.

_"We are one."_

Cloud stepped back, and felt a sharp pain in his side as he banged against the sink. He clenched his teeth, feeling sudden anger welling up inside him. He knew that voice, would never forget it for as long as he lived. The voice that had taunted him for so long, the voice he had finally thought himself rid of.

"Sephiroth," he hissed.

Somehow, someway, Sephiroth had returned. He was in the house now, Cloud just knew it. He had come back, come back for what he believed was his, what he thought was part of himself. They were inexorably linked through their Jenova cells.

_"You can never be free of me. I am a part of you."_

Cloud looked around warily. Sephiroth was somewhere in here, in the house. They were in deadly danger, and Tifa probably wasn't even aware of it, and he was defenseless. Sephiroth could slaughter the both of them unless he acted quickly.

"Tifa, get out of the house!" he shouted. "Sephiroth is here!"

Even as he spoke he dashed into the bedroom, every moment expecting to feel the bite of Sephiroth's masamune. His sword was propped on in the bedroom cabinet, the doors open. He dived over his bed, rolled on the ground and swept the weapon into his hand. Then he turned and sprung to his feet.

He looked up to see Sephiroth standing in the doorway, his masamue raised over Cloud's head, and a look of triumph on his face.

The masamune descended, the cold steel of death flashing in front of Cloud's eyes. Quick as a cat Cloud propelled his own sword upward, feeling it drive through flesh and bone. At the same time he slid to the side, letting go of his weapon as the masamune slammed into the floor where he had been a moment before. He rolled quickly farther to the side, then sprung to his feet, fists ready on the unlikely chance that the blow had not been fatal. He looked up and froze in horror.

The blow was undoubtably mortal. The sword had been driven up just below the sternum, up through the chest to protrude from between the shoulder blades in the back. Tifa's face was ghostly white, and blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. A look of shock was in her eyes as she stared at the handle of Cloud's blade. She tried to speak, but no words came out. Her hand clawed at him, almost seeming to move of it's own accord. She took one faltering step forward, then collapsed to the floor.

Cloud stood there staring at her in horror, the full realization of what he had just done slamming into him like a fist. For a long minute he remained motionless, almost unable to comprehend the horror of what had just happened, of what he had just done. Finally he fell to his knees beside her, shaking violently, begging for this not to be true, pounding on the ground, blinded by rage and the agony of his grief, and screaming out her name over and over again.

He shut his eyes, and when he opened them again, he stood once more in the chamber far underground, with Jinn standing before him and his friends by his side. He looked at them and saw that their faces were pale, and he suspected they had gone through something similar to what he had.

"What kind of trick was that?" he questioned sharply.

"No trick," Jinn replied. "Just a taste of what your future holds. Kind of ironic, don't you think. After all you've done, having helped save you planet, that you should be rewarded such. Seems a shame, actually. But it doesn't have to happen that way. I am more powerful than you can imagine. I can make sure it doesn't end up that way, and all you have to do is join me."

"That was just parlor tricks!" Cloud said. "How do we know that was a vision of the actual future?"

"It was," Jinn assured them. "For all of you. That is the ultimate reward you are going to recieve for all of your labors."

"We don't believe you!" Tifa said.

Jinn looked at her.

"Don't you?" he questioned, staring right at her. "Answer me honestly, didn't that vision have the stamp of truth on it. Didn't you feel it, didn't you know?"

Tifa said nothing, but her face was pale from the ordeal. After a moment she turned away from Jinn.

"Tifa, he's just trying to make you loose your will to fight," Cloud said. "It's a trick. There was no truth to it. Remember, he knows your fears. He was in your mind. He knows just how to get to you."

Tifa looked at Cloud. For a moment she hesitated, then attempted a reassuring smile. She stepped over to stand beside him, as if being near him would give her strength.

She didn't say anything, but turned to face Jinn once again.

"Those were interesting visons," Aeris spoke up. "But they were only that. Not even Jenova has the power to see into the future."

Jinn's gaze stabbed toward her.

"Don't I?" he questioned. "How do you know how much power I hold? I am the cumination of thousands of years of Jenova breeding. I am far superior to anything you have ever met. The Cetra have always underestimated us. That was your biggest failing."

"It might have been my people's, but it is not mine," Aeris said quietly.

"You're not going to get us to join you," Reeve said.

Jinn did not even look at him.

"So be it," he said. "It is as I would have suspected. I had some hopes for you humans, but I see it is pointless. You have been too long with the Cetra, have been contaminated by them beyond repair. You leave me no choice but to have you join them in oblivion."

Jinn pulled himself up, suddenly seeming to become much taller than the young boy he appeared. When he opened his mouth, the words rang in their ears.

"Jenova Prime!"

A yellow light began to glow around Jinn. It swirled around him, forming a mist. The mist grew thicker quickly, and it almost seemed as if Jinn was dissolving into it. His body slowly seemed to be fading, molecule by molecule being taken away, draining into the mist around him. Soon the mist filled the room, and Jinn had faded away completely.

"See now the true power of Jenova!" a voice shouted, seeming to come from all around them. The mist filled the room now, swirling and spinning, flecks of yellow light flashing through it. Suddenly some of the points of light drew together, coaleaseing into a ball of golden light that suddenly shot forward, hitting Aeris with a clap of thunder and slamming her to the floor.

Cloud shot the Chadara weapon as the mist where the ball of light had come from, but it passed harmlessly through it.

"What's happening?" Tifa said, obviously unnerved.

"It's become this mist," Cloud replied. "I don't know whether our weapons will be able to hurt it."

Jenova Prime's laughter filled the room around them.

"So how are we supposed to fight it?" Tifa cried out.

Cloud shook his head.

"I don't know, but we have to find some way."

He glanced over at the others. Reeve was helping Aeris to her feet.

"Is she all right?" he called out.

"I'm okay," Aeris said.

A flickers of light drew together again.

"Look out!" Cloud shouted.

Reeve pushed Aeris to the side again as a ball of light flashed past them.

Cloud fired again, but it seemed to have no effect.

"Damn," he yelled.

"It seems to be after Aeris," Tifa pointed out.

"He probably thinks she's the biggest threat," Cloud replied. "Reeve, try to protect her!"

Reeve nodded, pushing Aeris up by the wall and standing in front of her.

Cloud stared at the mist around them. He fired at random, but the mist seemed completely insubstantial. How could they fight an enemy like this?

The lights sudden drew together again. Quickly Cloud turned and fired. The ball of light exploded instantly on contact with the blast from the Chadara weapon. At the same time Jenova cried out.

"I got it!" Cloud yelled triumphantly.

"Cloud, look out!" Tifa yelled.

Even as she spoke the lights formed balls of fire in half a dozen places around the room at once. Cloud was about to fire at one when he felt something slam into him from behind. He tumbled across the floor, hearing the blasts of other fireballs. He pulled himself to his feet, ingoring the buring pain in his limbs, and looked around to see that all the others had been hit as well.

The laughter roared around them once more.

"Your attempts to defend yourselves are useless," the Jenova voice boomed. "You have no concept of my true power. You have had a taste of fear in your visions, but now I will make it a reality. I have looked into your minds, and I have chosen a suitable vessal. Behold now the instrument of your destruction!"

The yellow flickers of light suddenly started spinning around the room, faster and faster. Cloud kept his weapon ready, prepared to fire at any that seemed to form into a larger mass. But this time is seemed as if all the flickers were spinning faster and faster toward the center of the room, closing in on one another until it seemed as if all of them had joined into one large mass. The light was now so bright they could barely look at it. And then, it suddenly took on form. The shape of a man appeared in the light, becoming more substantial by the second. Cloud felt a shiver of fear, and the hot rage of anger at the same time as the figure became more and more recognizable, and Cloud knew that he would have to face his old foe once again.

Sephiroth stood in the center of the room, looking around slowly. The mist had faded away, and behind Sephiroth, Jinn had reappeared. He looked once more the young boy that had known the entire trip, but when he spoke, it was the booming voice of Jenova that came out of his mouth.

"I have looked in your minds. I have reached into the lifestream and brought back that which you fear most. This is no vision. Not this time. The man before you is real, held here by my will, infused with my power, a hundred times stronger than he once was. Look now into the face of death!"

Jinn laughed one more time. Then he turned to look at Sephiroth.

"Kill them all!" he commanded.


	30. The Enemy Of My Enemy

CHAPTER XXX

THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY

Elena didn't have time to ponder Vincent's words. After the initial blast that knocked Vincent over, the attack came fast and furious. Their opponents flew straight for the ridge Elena and the others stood on, whether because they were hoping to quickly overwhelm resistance, or had just not expected much. They certainly didn't seem to expect the withering fire from Vincent's gun and the two Chadara weapons that greeted them. Half a dozen Chadara had fallen from the sky before they realized the error of that tactic. But they adjusted quickly, deciding instead to wear the defenders down with almost continuous fire. The Chadara had seen where the fire was coming from, and now sent a constant barrage in the direction of Vincent, Elena and Reno.

Elena found herself cringing back in the crevice of rock where she had stationed herself. The sound of the electical charges hitting the rocks around her filled her ears. The stone reverberated beneath her from the force of it, and the air was tinged with the smell of burnt out wiring. Any moment she expected to feel the numbing blast as one of the shots hit just right, but she had positioned herself well, and though they hit all around her hiding place, none struck her.

Three times a Chadara flew into view, and three times she fired before they could draw a bead on her, sending them spinning downward. Each time she fired, she immediately afterward flattened herself as far back in the crevice as she could, knowing she was completely vunerable at that time while the weapon recharged.

Another one hove into view. She fired, but it had obviously been ready, for it quickly dodged back out of the way. Even as she ducked back into her crevice it suddenly flew out in full view, right in front of her hiding place. She realized it had deliberately shown itself to draw her fire, and was coming after her in the delay time it took for her weapon to recharge.

Even as it was about to discharge it's own weapon at her it was hit with a flash of light. It fell to the ground, and Elena could see Reno on the other side of the ledge, grinning at her.

She didn't have time to thank him as more Chadara came into view. She could hear the blast of Vincent's gun, but he couldn't get them all. A few actually landed on the ledge below her, only to be met by the fists of the massive mog and the claws of Red. One went down almost immediately, and the other two turned and flew off, rattled by the sudden attack.

The firing died down, and Elena risked a peek out. There were only one or two Chadara in view.

"Have they given up?" she called out.

"Stay where you are," Vincent warned. "They're just reformulating their strategy. They'll attack again any minute."

"How many of them are there?" Altim wanted to know.

"Can't say," Vincent replied. "A lot more than there are of us."

He was intterupted by another barrage of fire. Elena ducked back in her hiding spot, weapon ready. She didn't have to wait long. Another Chadara appeared, making no attempt at evasive action. It was heading toward the others on the ledge, not looking at her. She made sure she had him well in her sight and fired. The Chadara dropped to the ground.

The firing intensified, and a moment later the air seemed to be filled with wings as more than a dozen of the Chadara all came at the ledge at once. Elena's weapon had not had time to recharge, and she could see that Reno probably had the same problem, for he did not fire either. Only the blasts of Vincent's gun could be heard, but he couldn't possibly get all of them. Most of them landed on the ledge and charged forward, falling upon Red and Cait down at the bottom. Elena cursed the weapon she held as the seconds dragged by. The delay while it recharged probably only took about fifteen seconds, but it seemed like a lifetime in the heat of battle. Cait and Red were being pushed back. In spite of their fighting prowess the Chadara's numbers were starting to tell. The others had obviously noticed as well, for she suddenly saw Nipala and Altim spring up and join the fray.

But even as they did even more Chadara landed, almost right in front of her. She aimed the weapon and pressed the trigger repeatedly, and on the third press an arc of light shot out and dropped one of the Chadara. She wished she knew more about the weapon she was holding. There had to be a way to tell when it was charged, but she had no idea what that might be. But she didn't have time to figure it out now, her shot had attracted some attention, and two of the Charada were charging at her.

The weapon had no time to recharge, but that didn't mean it was useless. As a Turk she had some training in almost every type of weapon available, including rods and staves.

She lunged forward, just as the Chadara was reaching for her, driving the weapon into his stomach and sending him tumbling backwards. Crossing her hands, she jerked the weapon to the side, slashing it across the face of the second Chadara. It cried out and stepped back. She pressed the attack, landing quick blows to its head and shoulders until it fell to the ground.

A blast of light right beside her threw her off balance. She fell to her knees, the weapon slippng from her numb hands. For a moment she thought she would fall to the ground. The blast had not hit her, but had been close enough for her to feel some of the effects. She could barely feel the entire left side of her body. She struggled over to her weapon, dragging her left foot along. She picked it up and swung it around, firing at another Chadara that had landed nearby. She looked around. It seemed as if the Chadara were everywhere. She could see Reno slumped in the crevice on the other side of the ledge. Not far away, both Red and Altim were down. Even as she looked, she saw a blast hit Cait, who had been holding off three of the Chadara in front of him all by himself. She heard the crackling of overloaded circuits, then his body jerked spasmodically and he fell forward.

Vincent was still standing, though backed up at the rear of the concave ledge, near the entrance to the tunnel. She could see him firing rapidly, with Nipala not far away, the only other standing and fighting four Chadara. Elena didn't have time to observe any more, as things closer to home became more pressing. Two more Chadara were swooping down on her.

She pulled the weapon up, awkwardly with one hand, discharging it. But her aim was poor, and the one she was firing at dropped down underneath the shot. With both of them coming at her she swung the weapon desperately like a baseball bat. It struck one, sending it spinning to the ground. She had an instant to glance at the second Chadara. Both of them had weapons, but neither had fired at her. She could only assume that they had shot the weapons before the had come at her. Still, she wasn't the only one who could use it as a hand to hand combat weapon. The Chadara lunged forward, striking her on the forehead with the butt end of it. Sparks flew in her head as she spun backwards and fell to the ground.

Her head spinning, she felt another blow across the small of her back. She curled up into a ball, instinctively covering her head with her arms, no longer able to put up any defense, much less attack. She couldn't even muster the strength to cry out. Not that she thought it would help, the others still standing were not much better off.

Suddenly she heard a scream of pain. She lifted her head and saw the Chadara writhing in agony, it's body enveloped in flames. It danced around for a few moments before collapsing to the ground not far away.

Still dazed from the beating, she could not understand exactly what was going on. She looked around and saw the ledge filled with Chadara, but something seemed odd about them. She felt a hand suddenly fall on her shoulder. She put up her arms defensively.

"It's all right! It's me, Rude."

She looked at the dark suited man for a moment before her head cleared enough for it to sink in.

"Rude!" she exclaimed, feeling a rush of relief. "You'e here. You made it! But how?"

"No time to explain now," he replied. Even as he spoke he lifted his gun and fired. "We're all here, with Chadara reinforcements. Just get yourself undercover. We'll take it from here."

Elena nodded slowly, her head still throbbing.

"Was that your materia?" she questioned.

"No, it was Yuffie," he replied. "I told you, we're all here."

"Oh yeah," she responded, lifting her hand to her head. "I guess I'm kind of out of it. But I don't want to hide, you're gong to need help."

Rude shook his head forcefully.

"You're hurt. You can't fight in that condition."

A blast from one of the Chadara weapons struck nearby, causing them both to flinch.

"We don't have time to argue!" he said.

He grabbed hold of her arm, dragging her along beside him and depositing her down in a secluded spot behind a pile of jagged rocks.

"Stay there!" he said.

She was too tired and bruised to protest. A moment later he was gone, running toward the others. Elena sat there blinking for a moment. Her head still throbbed, but she was begining to think clearly. In spite of Rude's warning, she managed to get to her feet and looked out at the battle before her. He was right, she was too weak to fight anymore, but he couldn't expect her to not at least look.

The battle still raged, but the dynamics had changed dramatically. The situation was now reversed, with the Jenova guards finding themselves outnumbered. Nor did they have a convinient defensive postion to retreat to. Not that the idea of retreat seemed to have occured to them. Whether because of some Jenova influence, or because of their own strong will, they fought on even more fiercely.

And even with the reinforcements, the outcome was still in doubt. The Jenvoa guards still had their weapons, while most of the newcomers were empy handed. True, the weapons seemed to be non fatal in themselves, but shocking a Chadara into unconciousness while flying sent them plummeting toward the very unforgiving ground below. She saw half a dozen fall just that way in the opening moments of the attack, and she hoped that none of the one's that went down were carrying any of her friends.

But Rude and most of those with him were armed. None of the Jenova guards could stand up for long against the withering fire from Vincent, Rude and Barret, the blasts of materia from Yuffie, and the sword and spear of Zack and Cid. As more and more of the Jenova guards dropped, the odds became even more tipped against them. They had been staying together in a tight knot, but eventually the firepower against them was just too much, and they had to break and scatter. Yet even so they did not retreat completely. A few brave ones drove in to attack, making one last attempt to do some damage before they were brought down. Most of the others flew to the mountain, trying to find refuge among the rocks in a place that still gave them the opportunity to lay down some harrassing fire. Vincent dropped one then turned as Zack and Cid came up beside him.

"You have impeccable timing," he commented.

"Yeah, looks like we saved your ass," Cid stated more bluntly. "Should have known you'd be at the center of all this trouble. Care to fill us in on how you managed it?"

Vincent opened his mouth then stopped and stared at something behind them. Zack turned to see Roshnialu looking at Vincent with much the same expression. She muttered something they didn't understand.

"This woman is..." Vincent began.

"She's half Cetra," Zack filled him in. "It's a long story, but we could never have made it here without her help."

"I see I'm not the only one who has an interesting tale to tell," Vincent mused. "But never mind that now. Cloud and Ellengio are already inside with some of the others," he said, pointing to the cave entrance. "They are fighting a Jenova and they'll probably need our help."

Cid's eyebrows went up.

"A Jenova?" he said. "On top of all these Chadara? Boy, when you guys get in trouble you don't kid around. Should have known though, with Cloud here. The guy's a trouble magnet."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Zack questioned, holding his sword in readiness.

Vincent looked around. He could see Elena not far away, standing with Reno and Rude, her mouth going a mile a minute. Though she looked bruised it was obvious that she was in good spirits. Lai Li had come over to stand beside Roshnialu. He could also see Yuffie not far away, walking among the wounded, which included Red, Altim and Cait, a green cure materia in her hand. The others had scattered, chasing after the last of the Jenova guards.

"Yuffie! We're going after Cloud," he called out, indicating the entrance to the cave. "Let the others know."

Yuffie looked over at them and nodded distractedly. The battle was not quite over , but already they were gathering the wounded together as best they could. Although Yuffie was anxious to go help mop up, once she had seen the battle was no longer in doubt she had realized her materia would be better put to use healing the wounded. Of her friends, only Red and Altim had suffered more than a few bruises, and with the help of her materia they would be fine. Some of the Chadara were badly hurt, and it was these she was concentrating on at the moment. But Zack's words made her look around, wondering where the others had disappeared to. She hadn't seen Amanda since the battle started, and that brought a frown to her face. She hoped nothing had happened to the young girl. She made a promise to go look for her as soon as she was done here.

Amanda was not far away, farther up the slope, not far behind Barret, who had just dropped one of the guards he had flushed from behind a small group of rocks. He stepped over to the fallen body, gun ready as he probed behind the rocks for any others for a few moments. Then, satisified that there were no others there, he turned toward her.

"See any others?" he questioned.

Amanda hesitated. As she had followed behind Barret she had seen a narrow crevice in the rock. She had looked in on what appeared to be a narrow cave as she had passed. It had not been very deep, and had dead ended perhaps ten meters inside, close enough that she could see the end of it when she stuck her head in. Now she stood near it.

Barret began to walk back toward her.

"Well?" he questioned.

Amanda hesitated just a moment more. She looked around, but no one else was in sight. A plan was forming in her mind. She looked back at the cave entrance.

"Amanda?" Barret said. He stood right beside her now.

"Uh, yeah," she said. "I mean yes. I think I did see one. Going in that crevice back there." She pointed to the cave.

"Oh yeah?" Barret said, eyeing it critically. "Well, I'll just have to flush him out."

He walked toward the cave. Amanda remained where she was. She looked around again. She could hear fighting off in the distance, farther down the mountain, but stil no one was in sight. This was the moment she had been waiting for, she said to herself. She finally had Barret alone, she had to do it now. She might never get this chance again.

Barret had reached the cave. He stopped for a moment, gun ready, eyeing the dark entrance.

Amanda watched him nervously, waiting for him to go in. She would have to be fast. It would only take him a moment to realize the cave was a dead end. She felt her throat suddenly going dry, looking at Barret. He seemed to be acting awfully cautiously all of a sudden. She had known him long enough to know that he wasn't much at waiting patiently for the enemy to make the first move. She had expected him to just plunge in, regardless of the consequences, but he seemed to be taking forever. If he looked in first, if he was careful, he might realize the cave was a dead end without even going in. Her plan would be ruined, and then what would she do? She looked down and saw that she was trembling. Had he noticed that? Had he become suspicious? Was that why he seemed so reluctant to proceed?

But even as she felt her nerve failing her, he suddenly lunged forward, disappearing into the cave. Now was the time! There was no turning back. She had to do it. She had to do it now or she never would!

She tried to concentrate, waiting for the familar rush of energy inside her. But for some reason this time it seemed especially difficult. She felt confused, distracted, her concentration unfocused. Nothing Barret had ever done indicated he could be the man Calin told her he was. He had treated her with nothing but kindness and respect. Had welcomed her into his house, had treated her like his own daughter. And again she wondered if this was all a mistake, if Calin could somehow have been wrong, that she was about to do this to an innocent man.

She felt sweat beading on her brow. Each second she hesitated was one more second lost, each passing second she expected to see Barret reemerge, and the opportunity lost. No matter what he was like now, no matter how she felt about him, she had a job to do, a job people were depending on her to finish. She had to do this, if not for herself, then for Calin.

She remember Ice's last words to her, that her father would be ruined if she did not succeed, and felt resolve building up inside her. Calin was depending on her. That was the bottom line. After all he had done for her, she could never face him again if she did not carry out this mission, if she failed him. Whether Barret had done what he was accused of not was moot. She had to do it for Calin, to pay back all he had done for her.

Suddenly she felt the quick surge of energy that always preceded the release of her power. A green glow appeared in her eyes. She raised her arms, and lightning flared outward.

It struck the mouth of the cave, sending a shock through the ground. She couldn't tell for sure, but she thought she heard Barret cry out. It was lost, however, in the cascade of rock as the entire entrance to the cave collapsed suddenly, causing a loud rumble and throwing up a cloud of dust. Moments later it as over, and for a second she stood there, staring at the rocks that now totally blocked the entrance to the cave, burying it as if it had never been. There was no sign of Barret.

She lowered her head. Her arms still trembled, and the dryness had not left her mouth. She had done it, she had avenged her parents, but she felt no triumph, no sense of victory. All her life she had wanted revenge for her parents death, but never once had she imagined it would be like this. She had done what she had come to do, yet she felt empty, almost sick to her stomach.

She felt something on her cheek. She brushed her hand across her face and found to her surprise that it was wet. She shook her head, then looked up again, staring blankly at the pile of rocks in front of her. She would go back to Calin, tell him that she had accomplished her mission. She would leave these people, these people who she had never meant to befriend. She would go back, back to her old routine. But somehow, she knew that things would never be the same again.

Finally she took a deep breath, then turned and walked slowly back down the mountain toward the others.

* * *

Sephiroth slowly looked around, an unreadable expression on his face, eyeing them all with his icy green eyes.

"Who summoned me?" he questioned.

"I have," Jinn said.

Sephiroth turned slowly to face the young boy.

"I have called you using my power, the power of Jenova, your mother," Jinn said. He waved his hand at the others. "I give you an opportunity for revenge against those that have wronged you."

Sephiroth said nothing. He looked at Jinn for a moment, then his eyes roamed once more around the room, looking at each of them in turn. A smirk crossed his face when he saw Cloud.

"Ah yes, I remember some of you," he said. "How long has it been?"

"Almost three years," Aeris spoke.

Sephiroth turned toward her, looking at her sharply.

"The Ancient I killed," he mused. "How is it you live? Did this Jenova bring you back as well."

"Not at all," Cloud spoke up boldly. "We brought her back. In fact, you had something to do with it, though you might not remember."

Sephiroth remained silent, slowly nodding his head.

"Enough of this!" Jinn said. "Destroy them!"

Sephiroth turned back toward Jinn, his movement unhurried. His eyes narrowed.

"Who are you to command me?" he questioned.

Jinn stared at him for a moment, obviously not expecting that question.

"I am Jenova," he said, recovering quickly. "You are one with us. You must obey me!"

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. He cocked his head and brought one hand up to his chin.

"You are Jenova," he agreed. "But you are not MY Jenova."

Jinn was silent for a moment, staring at Sephiroth, obviously at a loss for words. Cloud saw Tifa looking at him. He leaned over and whispered to her.

"Looks like this isn't turning out quite the way Jinn expected."

Jinn's face grew stern.

"We are all one!" he said. "Our species gave you true life. Gave you power. I have given it to you again. I have brought you back from the lifestream. I have given you a chance to return to your planet and finish what you started. You can be a god, just as you wanted to be!"

Sephiroth stared at Jinn thoughtfully.

"Tempting," he said finally. His turned and his gaze fell once more upon Cloud.

"Yes. I admit there might be some satisfaction in that, but I've got more important things to do."

Jinn frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

Sephiroth laughted. The sound sent shills down Cloud's spine.

"I've learned a lot after all this time. Things that even you might not know," he said. "When someone is returned to the lifestream, their essense, all that which they are, is merged with all the others. When this happens, consciousness is lost. The new entity formed that is born again has no knowleddge of the entities it existed as in the past. But you," he said, staring at Jenova, "know it is different for your species. Jenova entitiy cannot mix with any others, only with other Jenova. That is why you are all one, that is why you are born with the knowledge of those that came before you. This is what should have happened to me, but my human side prevented that. Because of Jenova, my conciousness remained intact, but because I was part human, I could not remerge with the Jenova conciousness. I was trapped, neither alive nor dead."

"But gradually, I discovered I could tap into the flow of conciousness that was the lifestream. Even though I could not be a part of it. Suddenly I had access to not just one world, but thousands. Not just human and Jenova, but innumerable species, all passing by on their journey through the lifestream. And I found out that I could communicate with them, that I could influence them."

Sephiroth waved his arm in front of himself, his eyes blazing with passion.

"Think of it!" he exclaimed. "Influence over a thousand worlds! The ability to shape events to my liking across the entire universe. What does being the god of a single planet amount to compared to that?"

Jinn just stared at him blankly.

"The answer is, it doesn't," Sephiroth continued. "But influenceing beings across the galaxy is not an easy task. Events move slowly. It is often difficult to find the proper way to bend others to your way of thinking. It takes patience and time. But time was something I had an eternity of. Still, my plans were very delicate. Everything had to happen on schedule. One small ripple, one tiny disturbance, could ruin everything I had worked so hard to accomplish. All this time, and nothing had disturbed that delicate balance."

He stepped toward Jinn and looked down at him.

"Until you wrenched me from the lifestream!" he accused coldly.

Jinn just stared at him.

"Who knows what damage you have done to my plans? Who knows how far you have set me back. And for what? Revenge? The chance to rule one puny woirld?"

Sephiroth paused and looked at Jinn expectantly. The Jenova suddenly seemed younger than ever, a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, while Sephiroth stood before him, the aggreived parent, waiting for an explanation.

With a fluid motion Sephiroth pulled out his masamune. He swung it a few times experimentally. Then his eyes fixed on Jinn once again.

"Those others over there," he jerked a thumb in Cloud's direction. "They stopped me from taking over one world. You may have destroyed my plans for taking over many. What do you think is a suitable punishment for such a transgression?"

Jinn slowly took a step back.

"I can still help you," he stammered. "I can help you with your plans. You still owe much to Jenova. I have instilled in you all my power. With that you will be even stronger. There is no reason for us to fight when we can be partners."

Sephiroth laughed coldly.

"But I have no need of a partner," he replied. "I'm perfectly capable of carrying out my plans without you or anyone else's help. You have already given me your power, free of charge. In hindsight, it might have been wiser to hold on to that commodity a bit longer. As it is, there is nothing that you can offer me."

Sephiroth held his masamune in front of him, staring down at it. Suddenly the blade began to glow redly. The glow quickly brightened, and then he sword suddenly burst into flame. The fire glowed brightly, running up and down the sword edge. Sephiroth took a step toward Jinn.

"Wait!" the Jenova pleaded. "I gave you my power freely. It is Jenvoa cells that made you what you are. I helped you!"

Sephiroth barely paused.

"So?" he questioned. "Are you expecting me to be grateful? Gratitude and mercy are for the weak. I take what I want, and destroy all those who thwart me. I must return to the lifestream to save those of my plans that I can, but before I do, I shall make you pay!"

Sephiroth lifted the masamune above his head. The flames flared brighter still, leaping up toward the ceiling. But though the blade seemed to be engulfed, it appeared to be causing Sephiroth no discomfort.

Jinn cringed back, bringing his arms up to shield himself as the sword flashed downward.

"Nooo!" he cried out.

Then he screamed as the sword clove into him. Instantly he was enveloped in flames, roaring like an inferno around him and over him. The light from it flared outward, filling the entire room with flickering shodows, so brightly that the others could barely stand to look. Jinn screamed again and gyrated wildly, the flames consuming him eagerly, almost like a living thing. He stumbled forward, but seconds later fell to the ground, his limbs twitching feebly, the fire swirling around him with voracious fury. A few moments later he was still.

Sephiroth just stood there unmoving. looking at his handiwork, and as quickly as the flame had appeared it suddenly began to fade away, leaving behind just a charred and smoldering body.

Sephiroth turned toward the others, his masamune still in his had, the cold look still in his eyes. Cloud felt himself tense.

And then Sephiroth laughed. That mocking laughter that had so tormented Cloud for what seemed like a lifetime to him. Cloud felt his hands tighten on the Chadara weapon he was holding, but even as they did, he could see that Sephiroth had begun to give off a green glow. Quickly it built up, and as the same time Sephiroth himself seemed to become insubstantial, as if her were fading slowly into the light, a ghost returning to his own realm, to the lifestream.

A moment later he was gone. The green light faded away, and last of all, even the echo of his laughter.

For a long time they all stood there silently.

"Did I just imagine that," Reeve finally broke the silence. "Or did Sephiroth actually help us?"

"He didn't help us," Cloud responded. "He helped himself. Even bitter enemies can find common cause, I supppose, in the face of a bigger threat."

"I take it that you have everything under control?"

They turned to see Ellengio standing by the entrance to the room.

"Ellengio!" Aeris cried out happily. "You're here!"

Ellengio nodded.

"Elena told me you were facing a Jenova. I thought you might need my help, but it appears I was mistaken."

"We did get help, actually," Tifa said. "And from a most unexpected source."

Ellengio looked at them thoughtfully.

"And a most interesting tale I'm sure it will be," he commented.

"Yes," Aeris said. "But we'll have plenty of time later to relay it. But now, here is the generator," she said, pointing to the device at the other end of the room. "Let us finish what we came here to do!"

"Indeed," Ellengio agreed.

He walked over to the instrument, and stood in front of it for a few moments, studying it silently. Eventually he reached down, his hand playing across one of the panels. The others felt the hum in the air suddenly change in pitch.

"Don't you need the crystal materia?" Aeris questioned.

Ellengio held up his hand.

"In a moment," he said.

His hand touched more of the panels, moving rapidly now. To Cloud it didn't seem like much was happening, but then again, it seemed difficult to believe that what Ellengio was fiddling with was actually a machine at all.

Just then one of the rods that protruded from the top of the instrument slowly slid down and disappeared. The hum changed pitch again, getting distincly louder. The others stood there waiting patiently for something else to happen.

Ellengio made a few more adjustments, then stepped back. The instrument hummed for a few more seconds, then the hum slowly faded out. Beneath them the slight vibration they had felt since they had entered the room vanished as well.

Cloud frowned. If he didn't know better, he would think that Ellengio had turned it off.

Aeris was frowning as well, looking at Ellengio.

"What did you do?" she questioned.

Ellengio did not reply, just stood there staring at the instrument in front of them.

"What did you do?" Cloud repeated, an edge suddenly appearing in his voice. Aeris unease had lent credence to his own. Now he was convinced that this was not what was suppopsed to happen.

Ellngio finally looked up at them.

"I have freed my people," he said quietly.

The others looked at him in shock.

"What?" Cloud snapped in disbelief, bringing the Chadara weapon up. "Are you some kind of Jenova too?"

Ellengo merely looked at him.

"Of course not," he said dismissively. "You're letting your imagination get the better of you. Do I have to remind you that Jenova is not the only species on Shinialyn?"

He looked at them all sharply.

"The Cetra," Aeris said slowly.

"The Cetra," Ellengio repeated. "For two thousand years they have been trapped on Shinalyn, trapped with their own worst enemy. They have been stagnant all these years, but no longer. Finally they will be free!"

Cloud could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"But Jinn told me the Cetra had been extermianted on Shinailyn," Aeris said.

"Impossible," Ellengio said with a snort. "There is no way Jenova could have done that. The Cetra would have found a way to survive. They are too advanced, too smart..."

"Too superior?" Aeris finished.

Ellengio gave her a sharp look.

"Perhaps," he replied. "Think what you will, but I know they are still there."

"Sounds to me like you suffer from the same arrogance that got the Cetra in trouble in the first place," Aeris said.

Ellengio did not reply to that, but the look he gave her made it obvious what he thought about it.

"But you've let Jenova free too!" Reeve pointed out.

"I realize that," Ellengio said. "It's a caculated risk. But the Cetra are no longer alone. They have both the Chadara and you humans to help them. Together I believe we can defeat Jenova."

Cloud shook his head slowly. Of all the things to happen, even the return of Sephiroth, this was the least expected.

"You planned this right from the begining, didn't you?" he accused. "You never had any intention of using the crystal materia. You brought us here for the sole purpose of taking down the generator."

Ellengio looked at him for a moment, then nodded.

"Why didn't you just let Jenova do that job?" Reeve questioned bitterly.

"Believe it or not, I am still on your side," Ellengio explained. "Jenova is our enemy. It will be difficult, and sacrifices will have to be made, but this course of action offers both our species the best hope of survival."

"Does it?" Aeris questioned. "You're talking about an interplanetary war. Two thousand years ago, that's just what the Cetra on Shinalyn sacrified themselves to prevent! By doing this you're repudiating everything they did."

"Nonesense," Ellengio replied. "They sacrified themselves for the future, not just the future of others, but the future of the Cetra as well. They stoppped the Jenova from expanding, giving those of us who escaped time, time to build up alliances, time to strengthen ourselves, until the time came when we were strong enough to return and take back what is rightfully ours, to take back Shinialyn!"

"How do you know we are strong enough?" Cloud questioned. "How do you know that Jenova is not too strong, that, now that you have released them, they will travel across the galaxy, conquering every species in their path. How do you know you didn't just doom my race as well?"

"I said it was a risk," Elelngio replied, apparently unfazed by Cloud's argument. "But I believe this is our best hope. I may never have gotten the chance to come here again, to do this. I had to take the opportunity when it presented itself. The fact that you had a rocket ship available I took as a sign, a sign that it was time to return."

Cloud stepped forward, his face flushed with anger.

"And who gave you the right to make such a decision?" he demanded. "What gives you the right to play with the fate of all humanity? As Aeris said, you're talking about an interplanetary war. Even if we win, who knows how many casualties there might be, thousands, millions? Will there be anyone left to enjoy the fruits of victory, even if they are obtainable? Your species made a choice two thousand years ago, a choice to save others. And it was the right choice. You have no right to change that now!"

Ellengio slowly shook his head.

"I don't ask your permission," he replied. "Although I would have wished for your blessing. But I am willing to go on without it. I am willing to accept the consequences of what I have done"

The others just stared at him.

"So that's it?" Cloud snapped. "You're giving us no choice in the matter?"

Ellengio lowered his head.

"The decision has been made. There's no turning back now. There's nothing you can do about it."

Cloud grabbed hold of Ellengio's arm.

"You arrogant son of a bitch!" he shouted. "What's to prevent me from taking the crystal materia from you and starting this thing up myself?"

Ellengio looked at him calmly. Then he suddenly pulled away, moving faster than Cloud anticipated he could. He stopped out of reach, right beside the machine.

"Do not underestimate me," he said, his voice still calm in the face of Cloud's anger. "As I said, we are not enemies. I will not fight you. Yet still there is nothing you can do."

He reached down and the crystal materia suddenly appeared in his hand. He held it out, as if offering it to them, but then his arm came up.

"Ellengio, no!" Aeris cried out in horror.

Before anyone could move he brought his arm down. The crystal materia flew from his hand, hitting the floor and shattering into a million tiny shards.

The others just stood there in shocked silence. Cloud face was red, his hands clenched in anger. He felt as if the whole world had shattered along with that crystal. But he did not move. Ellengio had played it right, he had outthought all of them. They had played right into his hands, and he shuddered to think what the consequences would be.


	31. The End of the Road

CHAPTER XXXI

THE END OF THE ROAD

"Where's Barret?"

Cloud looked around for a response. All of the other members of their space traveling group was now gathered in the Cetra generator chamber.

"Probably still helping the Chadara mop up," Yuffie ventured.

Cloud nodded and turned toward Cid, who was lying on the floor beside an open panel on the generator, working on something inside. Aeris was kneeling beside him.

"So what's the verdict?" he asked.

Cid looked at him and shook his head grimly.

"Hard to make heads or tails of what the Cetra call machinery," he answered. "But as far as I can tell, Ellengio overloaded and burned out the motor when he shut it down. We can't start it again without another source of power."

"Great," Cloud muttered. He kicked a shard of the crystal materia and sent it spinning across the floor. "And the only power source we had is in pieces."

He glanced over at Ellengio, who was standing not far away, seperated from everyone else. Cloud had told the others what had happened.

"I can't believe we came all this way just to have this happen," Cloud continued bitterly. "Isn't there anything else we can use to start this thing?"

Cid continued to tinker with the wiring inside.

"If we had a generator of our own I might be able to start it up again," Cid stated.

"And where are we supposed to get one of those, pull it out of our hat?" Zack questioned.

"You're not wearing a hat," Yuffie pointed out.

"Isn't there a generator on the ship?" Tifa asked.

Cid removed the cigarette from his mouth and crushed the end against the floor.

"Yeah, sure," he replied. "If we wanted to gut the engines. I hadn't planned on making this a permanent stay. Besides, the thing is huge, how would we get it here? And even if we did, it's still not strong enough to get this thing going full power. The best we could hope for is the partial shield that it was generating eariler."

"That's still better than nothing," Red stated.

"Even if we accepted that, we still have the problem of transport," Cid said.

Lai Li had picked up one of the pieces of the crystal materia and was examining it carefully.

"We have plenty of other materia," she mused. "Can't we use that somehow?"

"None of it is anywhere near strong enough," Cid replied.

"What about the black materia?" Reeve asked.

Cid sat up, apparenlty done with whatever he was doing.

"I don't know," he said.

"That is the strongest one we have, but would it be strong enough?" Vincent asked.

Cid shook his head.

"It's hard to say," he replied. "But if we hook it up and it doesn't work, there's a chance we might drain the materia. We might not be able to use it again."

"Which means we'd have no way to get back to our planet," Red said.

"I'm not too keen on that idea," Yuffie said.

"None of us are," Cloud replied.

"It may be the only way to save the situation," Red stated.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait just a minute," Reno cut in. "Don't tell me you're even thinking about using our only means of returning home. I didn't come on this trip to commit suicide."

"It's not suicide," Red replied. "There's no reason why we couldn't live on this planet."

"Maybe you could, but not me," Reno said forcefully. "This place is a hell hole, plain and simple. That plan will not work. Don't even think about it."

"Let's not jump the gun here," Cloud cut in. "We're just discussing options. We're not going to do anything yet. Besides, the black materia is back at the ship. Who knows how long it would take us to get there? How long do you think we have?"

He turned toward Cid on the last sentence, but Cid wasn't sure the question was directed at him.

"There's no way to tell," Aeris spoke up. "Jenova will know right away that the shield is down, but it'll take them a while to make preperations. They couldn't have known this was going to happen. I'd say we have at least a couple of days, probably longer. But there's no way to tell for sure."

Cloud nodded.

"So we probably would have time to go back to the ship," he stated.

"I've been translating this to Roshnialu," Lai Li interrupted. "She says it wouldn't take long to fly back to the ship. We had to go around the mountains to get here on foot, but it's only a couple of hours away in a straight line."

"All right then, we can go back if we have to," Cloud said. "That still leaves us with the question of whether the black materia would be strong enough to do the job."

Reno glared at him.

"I already told you that's not an option," he stated firmly.

"I'm not anxious to do it either," Cloud responded, sounding surprisingly coincilatory. "But what other choice do we have? If we do nothing, there's going to be a war. If sacrificing our way home can stop it, we have to consider it."

"It won't work," Ellengio said suddenly.

Cloud just glared at him.

"The black materia is not strong enough," Ellengio continued. "I know you probably don't believe me, but it's true. The crystal materia was the only materia powerful enough to run the generator."

"Why should we believe you?" Cloud questioned sharply.

Ellengio shrugged.

"You don't have to," he replied. "But you'll only be hurting yourselves if you don't. Why would have made a crystal materia at all if the black one would do?"

"Maybe they didn't have access to a black one?" Reeve suggested.

Ellengio sighed.

"I told you we are not enemies. I wouldn't hurt you all if I can help it. So please believe me, the black materia is not the answer."

"So what is the answer?" Zack questioned, looking at Ellengio intently. "Is there a way? Something you're not telling us?"

"No," Ellengio replied. "The crystal materia was the only way. There is nothing you can do now."

"And if there was, you wouldn't tell us anyway, now would you?" Cloud asked.

Ellengio looked at him for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, probably not," he conceded.

"Dammit, if you know something, you better tell us!" Zack said threateningly.

Aeris stood up.

"Leave him alone Zack."

Zack spun toward her in surprise.

"What, are you on his side?"

"No," Aeris said quickly. "But I know he won't tell us anything. Threatening him is usless. There is nothing you can do to him that will make him talk if he doesn't want to. We have to figure a way out of this ourselves."

"But there is no way out!" Yuffie complained.

"There must be something we haven't thought of," Cloud said.

They were silent for a moment.

"Maybe there's another one," Nipala suggested.

"Another what, crystal materia?" Cloud said.

"Yes," Nipala replied. "If they made one, they may have made another. It would seem prudent to have a spare, and the Cetra seemed to be a prudent race."

"Do you think that's possible?" Cloud said, again seeming to ask no one in parituclar.

"Unlikely," Lai Li spoke up. "I've been reading Talisheedra's journel. She makes no mention of a second one. They were pressed for time. Jenova arrived here and discovered them before they were completely finished with the first one. I don't see how they could possibly have had time to make another."

"But it's not impossible," Reno said.

"Anything's possible," Red conceded. "But without any knowledge of it, without any clues, where would we look. Even if it exists, it might take months, or even years to find it."

"If worst comes to worst, we end up doing that anyway, or at least until Jenova arrives here," Cloud said. "But I'd prefer something a little more substantial to go on."

"Wouldn't we all," Reno muttered.

"What if we could connect materia together?" Lai Li said.

"Huh?" Cloud said, turning toward her.

"You say no individual materia is powerful enough. Well, we have lots of materia. Is there a way we could connect them together so the generator could tap all their power?"

Cloud frowned for a moment, then turned toward Cid expectantly.

Cid hesitated a moment, then shook his head.

"Something like that has never been done. I wouldn't even know how to attempt it. Besides, the power source has to be small enough to fit in the compartment in the machine, and it's not big enough to hold more than a few materia, certainly not enough to provide the power we're talkng about. And even if we could connect materia together, we can't do it with wishes. I'd need tools and supplies, and we don't have any."

Cloud looked around in frustration. Dammit! There had to be something they could do!

"We need something stronger," he muttered.

Suddenly Aeris turned toward him.

"Stronger!" she exclaimed. "Oh, I'm such a fool! What about Quay's supermateria?"

Cloud looked at her, for a moment not realizing what she was talking about. Then he remembered.

"The supermateria made by Zangan's son," he clarified. "You still have it?"

Aeris nodded vigorously.

"It's back at the ship," she said.

"Wait a minute!" Yuffie interrupted, pinning Aeris with a look. "You told me that was destroyed."

Aeris suddenly looked embarrassed.

"Well, I said it was...that is...," she stammered.

Yuffie's eyes widened.

"You lied to me!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe it!"

"There's no time for this!" Cloud cut her off.

"I thought you were my friend!" Yuffie exclaimed, ignoring Cloud.

"Oh stop it!" Tifa cut in. "She did you a favor. Everyone knows you would never have been satisfied knowing the supermateria existed and was not in your possession, and we couldn't let you have it. It would have driven you crazy."

"Aeris, do you think the supermateria would be stong enough to do the trick?" Cloud asked, ignoring Yuffie in turn.

Aeris just looked at him.

"I don't know," she said. "I think so. It was certainly stronger than any other materia. I think it will work."

"What are you talking about?" Ellengio questioned.

Cloud turned toward him, and couldn't help but smile at Ellengio's ingnorence.

"For all your intelligence, there's some things you don't know. It's something we obtained on a previous adventure. Something you had no knowledge of."

Ellengio did not reply to this.

"I have to get back to the ship," Aeris said.

"Roshnialu can take you," Zack said.

"Is Roshnialu strong enough to carry her?" Cloud questioned, looking at the silver haired woman. She was smaller than most of the Chadara they had met, and even though Aeris was slight of build herself, he wasn't sure she could manage it.

Zack, however, had no qualms about it.

"She's stronger than you think," he replied.

"Roshnialu says she'll do it," Lai Li said.

"All right, then let's get up the the surface," Cloud said. He looked over at Ellengio, then turned to Zack.

"Zack, could you..."

"Keep an eye on him?" Zack finished for him. "Of course."

"All right," Cloud said, then he, Aeris, Roshinialu,Tifa and Reeve left the room and started back up the steps.

"Do you think Ellengio will try anything?" Tifa asked worridly.

"I don't think so," Aeris said. "I believe him when he said he wouldn't fight us. We are still on the same side. No matter how wrong he is, he's just doing what he thinks is best."

"Best for the Cetra," Cloud muttered.

"Yes," Aeris sighed. "Best for the Cetra."

The made their way quickly up the stairway. It had been a lot easier going down than up.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Tifa said after a while, "but wasn't the supermateria deactivated?"

"Yes it was," Aeris agreed.

"And don't you need regular materia to reactivate it?"

Aeris nodded.

"And the only regular materia we have is Yuffie's," Tifa brought the thought to it's logical conclusion.

"Right again," Cloud said.

Tifa was silent for a moment, then shook her head.

"Yuffie's REALLY going to be unhappy about that," she commented.

"You're probably right," Cloud said, the smirk on his face giving away how he thought about the idea of telling her.

"You are bad," Tifa said, noticing the grin. "You know she's going to go ballistic."

"And it'll be fun to watch," Cloud said.

They reached the exit and stepped once more outside. Night had fallen by now, but it was not dark. They looked up into the sky to see the huge orb of Shinalyn shining spectacularly above the western horzen. They had thought it was impressive before, but now it was breathtaking. It's silver sheen was gone, and now they could clearly see the swirling white clouds covering it, and beneath that, the blue of it's oceans and darker colors of it's land masses. They all just stood there staring at it for a moment.

"Wow," Cloud muttered. The others remained silent, finding no words for Shinailyn's beauty. Cloud saw an odd expression on Aeris face. He wondered how she felt about being this close to her homeworld, a world she had never known. He thought about what it would be like to be this close to Earth, and not be able to get any closer, not be able to experience it, but he knew it wasn't the same. He had been to earth, had lived there. He knew what it was like. Aeris had never known Shinailyn. Perhaps she didn't even consider it her homeworld.

"You better get going," he said, breaking the silence.

"Be careful," Reeve said.

Aeris nodded, her eyes dropping to look into his.

"Of course," she replied.

She walked over to Roshnialu, who lifted Aeris in her arms as easily as a child. She spread her wings, and then they were gone into the night. The others stood there for a while until she disappered from view.

"I guess I'll go over and take a look at Cait," Reeve said. "I feel bad neglecting him all this time. I hope he's not too badly damaged."

"You were kind of busy," Cloud reminded him.

"Yeah," Reeve replied, walking away.

Tifa sat down on a nearby rock and gazed up at Shinialyn. Cloud looked at her for a moment, outlined it the silver light. He came up and sat beside her.

"Do you really think this will work?" she said softly.

Cloud felt her hand slipping into his own.

"I hope so," he replied.

"If it doesn't..." she hesitated. "Jenova will come to our planet. We've fought them one at a time, and it hasn't been easy. I can't imagine what it would be like to fight an army of them."

"Tifa, it's okay. This is going to work," he reassured her.

"I know...I know what they can do," she continued as if she hadn't heard him. "I had one inside me. I'll never forget it. We've fought so hard. Could it all be for nothing?"

She turned toward him and looked into his eyes.

"Cloud, I'm scared."

He reached out and took her into his arms. He made a noble attempt at a smile.

"It's all right," he said with a conviction he didn't feel. "Everything is going to be all right. I promise."

She shook her head.

"I'd like to believe it. I really would. But you don't know that. I'm tired, Cloud. I'm tired of fighting, of struggling. When we started this, I thought there would be an end. That's the way it's supposed to work, isn't it? Things have a begining and an end. I thought there'd come a time when we could put down our weapons and live peacefully. After all, that's what we were fighting for, wasn't it? But it hasn't happened. It's just been one struggle after another. An endless cycle. And each time I've thought it's over it's started up again. How long can we keep this up? We've been fighting for so long now, and we've always won. But it can't go on forever. We can't keep beating the odds. Someday it's bound to catch up with us. Someday we're going to meet a foe we can't overcome..."

She faltered, lowering her eyes and gripping him tightly. He stood there for a minute staring down at her, suprised at this outburst. He had never seen her this upset before about such things. She had always been the rock, always been the one who smiled in the face of adversity, who had kept them going when things got tough. It wasn't like her to give up like this.

"Tifa," he said slowly, stroking her hair. He hesitated, at a loss for words. He really wasn't the best at reassuring others. That was usually her job. But he knew he had to say something now. Who reassured the reassurer? "This isn't like you. What happened to that cheerful girl who always saw the best in every situation?"

"I don't know," she replied, not looking at him. She sounded near tears.

"I know it's hard," he said. "But we can't give up now. It may seem like we're getting nowhere, but that's not true. We know so much more now. Jenova has been a constant threat hanging over our heads, whether we knew it or not. A threat that could strike at any time, without warning and apparently from nowhere. We didn't know when it would happen or where it came from. We beat them, but we never knew when another one would appear. But now we do. We've traced Jenova back to it's source, back to the nest. And once you wipe out the nest, you wipe out the problem, once and for all."

Tifa pressed her head against his chest.

"This nest might be too strong to wipe out," she said softly.

"I don't believe that, and I don't think you do either," he replied. "We're this close. We're this close to finally finishing this thing. There's nothing that's going to stop us now, Tifa, nothing!"

Tifa remained quiet, the barely perceptable nod of her head the only indication that she had heard.

"I just want to go home," she said softly.

This time Cloud didn't reply right away. He kissed top of her head.

"We will soon," he said, just as softly.

* * *

Cloud wasn't sure how long they waited. Reeve rejoined them, with Cait right behind him. The damage to the Mog had only been minor. Tifa soon snapped out of her melencholy, and they all went to look for Barret. It was difficult going in the dark Footing was treacherous, and they could only move at a snail's pace. They hadn't covered much ground when Reeve called out that Aeris had returned.

Cloud and Tifa rejoined them at the entrance to the cave.

"Everything go smoothly?" Cloud asked.

Aeris nodded, her face flushed from the flight through the night air.

"Let's go see if it works," she said excitedly.

They descended back down into the cavern.

"Bout time," Yuffie said when they arrived in the generator room.

Aeris walked over to Cid and held out the supermateria.

"Here you go," she said.

"Aeris, are you sure you want to do that?" Ellengio questioned suddenly, stepping toward them.

"Stay out of this, Ellengio," Cloud warned.

Ellengio ignored him.

"This isn't going to work, you know," he said. "You're all just wasting your time. Aeris, the others might be blind, might not understand, but surely you do. Surely you realize that this is the only way."

"No I don't," she said. "I don't understand. I don't understand how you can betray our trust. I don't understand how you can think that everyone else's opinion does not matter. I don't understand how you can betray everything our anscestors did to try to prevent exactly what you have brought about."

"It's not like that," Ellengio said. "I explained this to you. The Cetra sacrificed themselves to give us a chance. You're the one who be betraying them if you try to change what I have done!"

Aeris shook her head.

"No, I don't believe it," she said. "I don't believe the Cetra would be that selfish. You're risking the humans world, and who knows how many others, to save your own species. We have no right to do that."

"We have every right!" Ellengio snapped. "The Cetra made you everything you are! They are your own people, Aeris, your own people. You owe it to them to help them, no matter what the risks for others. You must put your own species first. Can't you see that?"

"You seem to forget that I am half human," Aeris said. "I have been blind all this time. Blind to what you had planned. I, of all of these people, should have realized your true intent. But I was foolish. I trusted you to do what was best for ALL of us. I didn't think a Cetra would put himself before all others. I see clearly now. It is you who are blind now. You are blinded by your own arrogance, by your own desires, noble as you might think they are. What you have done is wrong, Ellengio, plain and simple Nothing you can say can change that fact, or make me change my own mind."

Aeris handed the supermateria to Cid, who took it and knelt down beside the machine.

Ellengio stepped toward her again, but suddenly found himseld confronted by both Cloud and Zack.

Ellengio frowned, then looked over at Roshnialu and started speaking rapidly. They went on for some minutes before Cloud interrupted.

"What are you saying?" he questioned.

"He's just trying to convince her too," Aeris stated. "But she's said that Jenova would sometimes take Chadara to Shinialyn. Apparently they needed them for some kind of experiments. Most of them were never heard from again, but a few came back. She said she spoke to one and he said the Cetra had been wiped out on Shinailyn."

"There you go," Cloud said grimly, looking at Ellengio. "There are no more Cetra on Shinailyn. You've risked all our lives for nothing!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Ellengio replied. "You think I'm going to take the word of a single Chadara? A Chadara who had been under Jenova's influence for who knows how long? How could he possibly know? He couldn't have searched the whole planet. He was probably just spouting what Jenova told him to."

Cloud shook his head.

"I see you're going to believe what you want no matter what evidence is presented to the contrary," he said. "Isn't that the mark of a fanatic?"

"Call me what you will," Ellengio replied. "If giving my alleigence to my own people is fanatical, then I'll proudly wear the label."

"Okay, I've got it in place," Cid interrupted them, standing up. "Aeris, do what you have to do to activate it."

Aeris nodded and looked at Yuffie.

"We're going to need your materia."

Yuffie's eyebrows shot up.

"Huh?"

"Don't you remember how the supermateria works?" Aeris said. "It takes it's power from ordinary materia."

Yuffie stood there for a minute, then a shocked look came over her face as she realized what this meant.

"No way!" she exclaimed. "You can't do that. You can't use my materia. There must be another way!"

"There's no other way," Cloud said firmly. "We have to use your materia. it's our only chance."

Yuffie stood there looking from one to another of them, a look of dismay on her face.

"It's for a good cause," Tifa told her. "You're going to stop a war."

"But..." Yuffie stuttered.

"There's plenty more materia back on earth," Cloud told her.

"But..."

"You'll be a hero," Aeris said.

"But..."

"Enough buts," Cloud cut in. "We need to do this. Now."

Yuffie lifted up her materia pouch. She looked down at it affectionately. Then with a whimper she handed it over.

Cloud took the pouch, not taking his eyes off her.

She looked up at him.

"What?" she exclaimed.

"All of it," he said.

Yuffie's mouth worked but notthing came out for a moment.

"Isn't what you have enough?" she finally blurted out.

Cloud's just looked at her, his hand extended.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out four more materia. Cloud took them as well. He kept his hand out.

"That's all of it," Yuffie said.

Cloud didn't move.

"Oh come on!" she pleaded. " Can't you give a girl a break?"

He said nothing, just waited expectantly.

Yuffie muttered in frustration, then reached into her shirt and pulled out two more materia. She slapped them into Cloud's hand.

"Satisfied?" she snapped.

Cloud didn't move. Yuffie looked at him disbeleivingly.

"That's it!" she said. "You cleaned me out. It's all gone."

Cloud tapped his foot on the floor.

"I'm telling you, it's all gone," Yuffie protested. "You got it all."

"Yuffie, can you say, strip search?" Reno called out.

Yuffie's face flushed crimson with anger.

"You wouldn't DARE!"

"I'd consider it my personal duty," Reno replied calmly.

"Yuffie!" Cloud demanded.

"You...I...that's.." Yuffie sputtered. "Oh all right!" she finally conceded. She looked at them for a moment, then turned her back and fiddled around with her shorts. Reno's eyes went up in surprise.

"And here I was just joking!" he stated.

Yuffie spared him a glare. When she turned around she held a red materia in her hand.

"It's Knights of the Round," she said. "And I'm sure you all realize just how valuable that is"

"Yes I do," Cloud said seriously. "And I'm sure you realize how many people might die if an army of Jenova reaches our planet"

Yuffie looked down at the stone, then sighed and handed it over. Satisfied, Cloud dropped the materia beside Aeris.

"Get on with it," he said.

"Hold on," Altim said. Cloud turned to look at him. Altim cast a look at Yuffie,then reached into his pocket and pulled out two materia. He held them out for Cloud to take.

Yuffie stared at him.

"Did you steal those from me?" she accused.

"Umm, I think I'd rather not say," Alitm replied.

Cloud shook his head and looked around.

"Anybody else?"

No one spoke. He put down the newly aquired materia as well.

Aeris knelt down beside the compartment that held the supermateria. She reached inside.

"Aeris, don't do it!" Ellengio said, his voice half pleading, half demanding. Aeris did not reply.

"Aeris, think about what you're doing. If you go through with this you will be dooming the Cetra," Ellengio continued. "Aeris, you can't abandon them like this. How can you turn your back on your own race?"

Aeris glanced over at him.

"I'm not," she replied. "I'm helping my race."

She turned away again, and closed her eyes, gathering her thoughts.

"The human race," she finished softly.

In the compartment, the others could see the supermateria slowly begin to glow. But Cloud did not notice. He had his eyes and his weapon trained on Ellengio. The Cetra stood there, muscles taught, as if ready to spring. Cloud felt his hands tighten on the Chadara weapon, feeling sure that he would need to use it any moment.

But Ellengio came no nearer. The supermateria was glowing brightly now, casting multicolored splashes of light throughout the room. Aeris stood up, her eyes fixed on the materia.

"I've done what I can," she said.

The light got brighter still, and for the first time Cloud risked a glance at the machine. It was bathed in light, the supermateria glowing like volcanic fire, but so far looking like no more than a fancy light show.

"Is it going to work?" Elena questioned.

Cid stood by the controls, looking down at the patterns of light that ran across the panels.

"I think we've got enough power to give it a shot!" he exclaimed.

He looked at Aeris.

"I just hope we deciphered these things correctly," he said.

"Fine time to worry about that now!" Yuffie exclaimed.

Cid reached down and pressed a series of panels. A moment later the entire machine glowed with white light, blending but not drowning out the light from the materia. A vibration suddenly filled the room, humming up though their feet and reverberating through the air. It was the same vibration they had felt when they had first entered the room, only much stronger.

The vibration grew until the ground beneath them was trembling. Slowly some of the rods protruding from the machine started to move, rising up slowly.

"We have ignition!" Cid said triumphantly.

Cid quickly ran his hands along a few more panels. The vibration suddenly increased in volumn, and now they could hear a high pitched whine filling the air around them. Another rod slowly rose up on top of the machine, then another, until finally all the rods were fully extended.

There was a booming reverberation, shuddering the whole room. The whine was loud now, almost painfully so. They could barely stand due to the shaking of the ground around them. Cloud put his hand against the wall to steady himself. On the ground the shards of crystal materia were dancing across the floor as if manipulated by some unknown will.

"How bad is this going to get?" Yuffie questioned.

Cloud shook his head. The reverberation through the floor had not dimished. He looked around and saw the walls shaking all around them. Suddenly a crack appeared running up the far wall. He could see a green glow from within it.

"Is that...lifestream?" he questioned.

The others looked as well. Even as they did so the crack widened into a crevice, and they could all see the ghostly green glow of lifestream inside it.

"We better get out of here!" Ellengio called out.

No one was in a mood to argue. They ran for the door, barely able to keep their footing. They soon found out that the trembling was not confined only to the generator chamber. They stumbled up the steps as fast as they could.

"What's happening?" Elena shouted.

No one seemed to have the time or the inclination to answer. The ground was shaking so badly now that they could barely make progress up the steps. Cracks ran up the walls all around them, and chunks of rock, some of them big enough to do serious damage, fell all around them. It seemed as if the whole mountain were coming apart.

Small rocks fell around them like rain. Dust flew up, obscuring their vision and making it almost impossible to see ahead. They kept moving as best they could, having no clue how much progress they were making, or how much farther they had to go. Cloud dropped to the rear, trying to make sure they didn't lose anyone.

Apruptly the air cleared around him and he found himself standing in the cool darkness outside the cave entrance. He looked back, into the cave. He could see the glow of lifestream not far below. The tremors had not diminished, in fact, they still seemed to be increasing. He had thought that once they were out of the cave they would be safe, but now he wasn't so sure. If this kept up, the whole moutain could come down.

"I think we better get out of here," he said. "Lai Li, tell Roshnialu to ask the Chadara if they could give us a lift down the mountain."

Lai Li nodded and spoke rapidly to Roshnialu, who replied briefly, then flew up to where a knot of Chadara were hovering. Tifa grabbed hold of Cloud's arm.

"We still haven't found Barret!" she exclaimed.

Cloud nodded, looking around. Loose rocks shook and tumbled all around them. It seemed as if the entire moutainside was moving. Suddenly there was a great roar, and a geyser of lifestream shot into the air not far away from them.

"We've got to get out of here!" Reno shouted.

"We can't leave without Barret!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"We haven't seen him in hours," Reno yelled. "He's probably dead."

"I don't believe that," Tifa said, her face pale.

"Then why hasn't he come back?"

"Maybe he went back down the mountain?" Amanda suggested.

"Maybe he's hurt, maybe he's lying somewhere, waiting for us to find him," Tifa suggested.

"We don't have time to argue, this whole mountain could collaspe at any moment. If you don't want to join him, we've got to get out of here," Reno said.

"We can't just leave him, not without trying to find him," Aeris said.

"You looked earlier," Reno said, his voice getting more desperate as the trembling of the mountain worsened. "What makes you think you can find him now?"

"We've got to try!" Yuffie insisted.

"You're out of your minds!" Reno shouted.

"We don't have time for this!" Cloud exclaimed. "Reno's right about one thing, we don't have much time. We can't spend it arguing."

Roshnialu had landed again with a group of Chadara.

"Lai Li, have the Chadara take Amanda and anyone else who wants to get out of here down the mountain. The rest of us are going to search for Barret for as long as we can."

"No, you can't," Amanda said. "We all have to leave. It's too dangerous to stay here."

"We don't have time to argue!" Cloud shouted.

Lai Li spoke rapidly to Roshnialu, who nodded and walked over to Amanda.

"You'll all be killed!" Amanda protested.

"We'll take our chances," Tifa said.

"But why?" Amanda cried out. "He's probably already dead."

"We don't know that," Aeris said. "He's our friend, we can't just leave him behind."

"Go!" Cloud snapped impatiently..

Roshnialu took hold of Amanda's arm, but Amanda pulled away.

"Wait!" she exclaimed.

Cloud stared at her angrily, but she just stood there looking at them all. She seemed about to speak, but said nothing. Yuffie frowned and stepped forward.

"What is it, Amanda?" she said.

The young girl lowered her head, refusing to meet Yuffie's gaze.

"I..." she said.

Cloud stepped forward. He started to speak, but Tifa grabbed hold of his arm.

Amanda finally raised her head, a sudden look of resolve etched on her face.

"I know where he is," she said. "Follow me."

Without another word she was off, running along the ridge. The others all just stood there in surprise for a moment. Recovering, they followed. There really was no other choice.

She climbed up a steep slope, the ground still shaking, doubly trecherous as loose rocks tumbled down all around them. Yuffie cried out as one struck her a glancing blow to the head, but she shrugged it off and kept on going. At the top of the slope ran another ridge. Amanda pointed to a tumbled pile of rocks.

"He's in there!" she called out. "Hurry!"

She ran up to the rocks, grabbing hold of one and tossing it aside. Yuffie immediately sprang to her side, and began pulling rocks off the pile as well. The others hesitated a moment, then joined in. Cloud had no idea what was going on, and somehow he realized this was not the time to ask questions. If Barret really was buried underneath all this, they had to get him out as quickly as possible. They're be plenty of time for questions later.

Quickly they dug into the moutain, tossing rocks hapahazardly aside, and joining togther to push the larger one's out of the way. The tremors continued to increase, and now the moutain shook so badly they could barely stand. Cloud kept glancing up, expecting any minute to see the peak crumble, sending an avalanche hurtling down on them.

"Oh my god!"

He spun around at Elena's cry.

"I found something!" she called out. "It's Barret!"

The others gathered around her. Covered with dust and dirt, barely distinguishable among the stones, they could see Barret's gun arm protruding from under a pile of rocks.

"Shit!" Cid exclaimed. "Let's get him out of there!"

They frantically started to pull the remaining rocks off their friend. A few moments later they grabbed hold of him and pulled him out from under the last one.

"Is he alive?" Tifa asked, her voice quivering.

Zack bent down to examine him.

"He's breathing!" he said.

"All right, let's get out of here!" Cloud said.

Lai Li called out to Roshnialu, and she and the other Chadara grabbed hold of the non fliers and plucked them off the ground. With a quick beat of wings they were gliding away, spiraling down to the plain below. The moutain contined to tremble, lifestream shooting high into the air from dozens of cracks and fissures. Suddenly the whole mountain gave a tremendous shudder. There was an enourmous roar, and the entire top of the moutain collapsed in on itself, throwing up a huge cloud of dust.

The Chadara touched down a safe distance from the moutain, lightly depositing their burdens once more on solid ground. They all turned and looked up at the mountain.

"What the hell happened?" Zack questioned.

Cloud just shook his head.

"What happened to the generator?" Nipala asked. "Was it destroyed?"

That was exactly the thought that was on Cloud's mind. Could the supermateria have been too powerful? Had it overloaded the device, caused it to self destruct? Had they, in their ignorance, destroyed their only hope of stopping Jenova?

"No," Aeris said. "Look!"

They turned to see her pointing in the sky. Cloud looked up and saw Shinialyn shining high over their heads, but it had changed once more. The blues of the ocean and whites of the clouds were gone. The silver sheen had returned, but no longer diffuse, no longer swirling and patchy. Now the entire planet was a uniform silver color. It reminded Cloud of nothing so much as a giant ball bearing suspended in the sky.

"That's the shield, isn't it?" Reeve said, his voice hopeful.

Aeris stared up at the planet above them.

"Yes," she nodded. "The generator must still be working, somewhere under the lifestream. Perhaps that was a final defense mechanism, to prevent it from being tampered with after it was fully activated. The shield is in place. We did it."

Her voice sounded almost sad.

"Why the long face?" Cid questioned. "We did it. We won!"

Aeris looked down at the ground.

"I know. But we have also cut off a race from the rest of the univserse. Jenova didn't start off evil. They had as much right to Shinialyn as the Cetra. If only we could have gotten through to them, we might have been able to prevent all this."

"Now you're feeling sorry for Jenova?" Cid said, shaking his head.

"It wasn't their fault," she replied.

"There wasn't anything you could do," Reeve said. "Any chance there was to avert this passed long before we came here, before we were born."

She looked over at Ellengio, who was silently staring up at the planet above them. He lowered his eyes and his gaze fell upon her.

"You have doomed our race," he said. There was no anger in his words, only sadness. Cloud looked at him angrily, but Aeris did not seem fazed.

"We doomed ourselves long ago," she said.

"I can't believe it's finally over," Tifa said.

Cloud stepped up beside her and took hold of her hand.

"I told you we'd do it," he said.

She just smiled at him.

Yuffie cast one more glance at the mountain.

"My poor materia," she lamented. She looked over to see Amanda standing apart , looking away from them. Yuffie walked over to her. Amanda turned at her approach, her eyes dropping as she saw the stern look on Yuffie's face.

"I think you've got a little bit of explaining to do," Yuffie said.


	32. Vincent's Story

CHAPTER XXXII

VINCENT'S STORY

"So everything you told us was a lie."

"Yes," Amanda replied. "I was never held prisoner. That was all just a story to get you to trust me. I'm sorry. I nearly killed you. I would understand if you hated me."

Barret nodded without saying anything. The Chadara had flown them all back to their ship. Barret was badly hurt, but Roshnialu predicted a full recovery. Now, the next day, he was sitting up in bed, already antsy to get up, though it would be a few more days before he could With him in the room, along with Amanda, were Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Elena, Red, Nipala and Yuffie.

"I don't hate you," Barret replied. "From what I've heard you were the one who led them to me. No permanent harm was done."

Amanda looked at him gratefully.

"They told her you had killed her parents," Cloud said.

Barret's eyebrows rose.

Amanda nodded.

"Calin was the one who raised me. He was the only kind one. I can't believe he would lie to me. But as I got to know you, I just couldn't believe you could have done such a thing Now I don't know what to think."

"I've never murdered anyone," Barret said. "But a lot of people died when we blew up the reactors in Midgar."

"For all we know they could have made the whole thing up," Cloud said. "I think they were just using you, Amanda."

Amanda shook her head.

"I can't believe Calin would do that to me."

"I know he treated you well," Tifa said. "But sometimes people aren't what they seem."

Amanda just looked glumly at the floor.

"But why did they want Barret dead in the first place?" Reeve questioned.

"Who knows?" Cloud said thoughtfully. "We've all made a lot of enemies."

"You okay, Yuffie?" Aeris asked, looking over at the young ninja. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Yuffie cleared her throat and looked at Aeris.

"Huh? Oh, no, it's nothing," she said. "I guess I'm still feeling the effects of that knock on the head yesterday."

"Perhaps you better get some rest too," Reeve said.

"No, I'm fine, really," Yuffie reassured them.

"Well, you did the right thing in the end," she continued, looking back at Amanda. The truth of the matter was, she was still a little bit annoyed at herself that she hadn't seen through Amanda's lies, and, irrational as it may seem, a little bit hurt that Amanda hadn't told her earlier. "Though you could have said something a little sooner."

"I know," Amanda replied. "I was afraid. I was worried about what would happen to Calin if I didn't succeed. I still am."

"Yeah, that's something we'll have to address when we get back," Cloud said. "And I don't suppose they'll be too pleased with you, either, after they find out that Barret is still alive."

"I don't care what happens to me," Amanda said sadly.

"But we do," Aeris told her. "In the end you did the right thing. We'll help you any way we can."

Amanda looked up at her and smiled.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you all."

Vincent walked in the door, holding some papers in his hand.

"What Amanda told us earlier about her ability to use materia spells without materia sounded vaguely familar," he said. "I was sure I had seen something about that before. So I went back and looked through the papers Elena and I found in Hojo's lab in Midgar. Take a look at this."

The others gathered round to see what Vincent had.

"The Nathan Project?" Cloud said, reading off the paper.

"Yes," Vincent said. "It was another of Hojo's little experiments. It had to do with injecting mako directly into someone. He was aparently trying to see if the mako in their blood could let them use materia spells without using materia."

"Just like Amanda can!" Yuffie stated.

Vincent nodded.

"Yes. But the experiments never succeeded. At least, not the one recorded here. I don't have a complete record, but apparently he had tried it a number of times and either nothing had happened or the person had died. He seemed to think it would have a better chance to work with a woman."

"Wait a minute," Cloud said, his brow furrowed. "This reminds me of something too. I've heard a story like this before myself...somewhere. Oh yeah, I got it. Dr. Nathan!"

"Who?" Tifa questioned.

"One of the doctors who treated you," Cloud replied. "When we were talking about injecting mako into you I asked him if it had ever been done before to a female. He told me only once, and that the woman had died."

"Dr. Nathan?" Red said thoughtfully. "The Nathan Project? Sounds like more than a coincidence to me."

"Yes," Cloud agreed. "I think we'll have to have a talk with Dr. Nathan as soon as we get back."

"So Amanda might have her powers because of some experiment by Hojo?" Tifa questioned. "That he might have infused her with mako?"

"It's a possibility," Cloud said.

Tifa looked up suddenly at Amanda.

"If you were infused with mako too...then...were you the one who taught me that mind trick? When I had those headaches?"

Amanda hesitated a moment, then nodded.

"I used to get them too. Calin taught me how to do that."

"Why didn't you say something?" Tifa questioned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to know, you know, about what I could do."

Tifa looked at Amanda a moment, then smiled.

"Thank you," she said.

Amanda aknowledged it with a nod of her head.

"So Jenova ended up being killed by Sephiroth, and Ellengio destroyed the crystal materia, and when you used the supermateria as a substitiute, the whole mountain nearly came down on top of ya," Barret summed up. "And I missed it all!"

"I guess it was quite an adventure, wasn't it?" Cloud mused.

"Yes, but now that it's over, I can't wait to get home," Tifa said, siding up beside Cloud.

"So when are we leaving?" Barret questioned.

"Cid's already making preperations," Cloud replied. "Speaking of which, we really should be helping."

"But what happens now?" Barret questioned. "I mean, here on this planet? There are still other Jenova."

"True," Cloud replied. "But there are not many of them. The Chadara have rebeled against them. Darius is already free. With Jenova Prime dead, the Chadara guards in ruins, even the one's who had been guarding our ship had been called to the mountain to help Jinn, and no longer able to receive any support from Shinianlyn, Jenova doesn't have a chance."

"Do you think we should stay and help?" Barret asked.

"We've done our part," Red stated. "It might take months to hunt down every Jenova left on the planet. You don't really want to stay here that long, do you?"

"We've given the Chadara the ability to fight quite capably on their own," Cloud said. "It's no longer our fight."

Barret nodded.

"I just hope that some of the Jenova are willing to surrender before they are all wiped out," Aeris said. "It would be a shame to see the race disappear completely."

Cloud wasn't sure he agreed with that.

"Well, the one's that escaped from the planet were sterilized by the force field, and they're going to die eventually. Whether they surrender or not, it's over for them."

Aeris just looked at the floor.

"All right. We better get going. We'll see you later," Cloud said to Barret.

Aeris looked back as they filed out of the room.

"Take care," she said.

He just grunted in return.

As they walked down the corrider Vincent put his hand on Elena's shoulder. She turned to look at him and he nodded toward the observation room.

"I'd like to speak to you for a minute."

Elena nodded and followed him into the room. Soon they were alone.

"I can't tell you how happy it made me to have you say you loved me," Elena said before Vincent could say anything. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear that. I had given up hope."

Vincent nodded and took her hand.

"I realize I've made things difficult for you. I'm sorry for that. But after all that happened to me, I thought I didn't want to feel that way again, I didn't want to take the chance. And when I thought you were dead, that just made me believe it that much more. But when I found out you were alive, I..."

Vincent stepped closer and shook his head, looking down at her with his firey red eyes.

"I just knew I had to say something. I realized I had been hiding all these years, and I don't want to do that anymore."

Elena hugged him.

"I'm so glad," she said.

"Just uh..." Vincent began.

Elena looked up at him.

"Just what?"

He looked at her uncomfortably.

"Just...umm...do me a favor and don't go around telling everyone," he finished.

Elena frowned.

"Telling everyone what?" she questioned. "That you said you loved me?"

Vincent nodded.

"Why not?" she questioned, pulling back a bit.

"Well, you know I have a reputation as being somewhat aloof."

She gave him a sharp look.

"That's an understatement."

"Yes," he added. "Anyway, I'd kind of like to, well, keep that image, or at least the appearance of it."

Elena looked unhappy.

"What are you saying. That you're ashamed of me?"

"No, no, not at all," he said with a hint of exapseration. "I know how you can be. I just thought you might be able to tone down all the talk...if...you..."

The look on her face stopped him.

"So what, now you're saying I'm a blabbermouth too?" she accused.

Vincent shook his head vigorously.

"That's not it at all," he replied. "You're twisting around everything I say. I didn't ask you in here to argue with you."

"You could have fooled me!" she exclaimed, hands on hips.

Vincent opened his mouth again. He fumbled for words. Finally he gave up and grabbed hold of her. Pulling her to him he kissed her.

For a long minute they stood there motionless, until Vincent felt Elena relax in his arms. Their lips parted, but he still held her.

"I'm not very good at this," Vincent said. "It's been a long time since I've had to deal with anything like this. I'm afraid you're just going to have to bear with me."

Elena smiled and nodded.

"I know," she said. "I was just teasing you. I know how difficult this is for you. I'll help you anyway I can. I won't say anything to any of the others if you don't want me to. It was enough just to know myself."

She looked up at him.

"I won't spoil your bad ass image."

For the first in the conversation Vincent smiled in return.

"So is that why you called me in here?" Elena continued.

"No," Vincent replied, the smile vanishing. "It's something else. I wanted to tell you a little story. A story about Victoria."

Elena looked at Vincent, a quiver of surprise in her features.

"I'm all ears," she said.

"It happened a long time ago," Vincent began. "But I'll never forget it. I'll never forget what happened that day."

_"This calls for a celebration." _

_"You're right," Vincent replied. "You're absolutely right. I believe the whiskey is in the storage cabinet in the pantry." _

_Victoria gave him a look. _

_"That cabinet is locked," she pointed out. _

_Vincent looked at her and grinned. _

_"Then I guess I'll have a chance to put my newly aquired Turk skills to the test." _

_Victoria gave him a wicked smile. _

_"Oh you're so bad," she said conspiratorily. _

_"It's taken you this long to notice?" Vincent replied. _

_He walked into the pantry and came out a few minutes later carrying a bottle. _

_"You did it!" Victoria said. _

_"Of course," Vincent replied modestly. _

_Victoria went and got glasses from the kitchen. She set them down on the coffee table and Vincent poured them both a drink. _

_"To your career as a Turk," Victoria said, holding up her glass. "May it be long and prosperous." _

_Their glasses touched, then both of them quickly drained them. _

_"Hey, I want some too," Vernon called out as Vincent poured another. _

_Vincent looked over to see him standing int he doorway to the other room, where he had been watching tv. _

_"Don't you think you're a bit young?" Victoria questioned. _

_"So are you two," Vernon replied. "And if you don't let me, I'm going to tell Mon and Dad." _

_"Oh you little tattletale," Victoria admonished. _

_Vincent offered his glass toVernon. _

_"Vincent!" Victoria said. _

_Vincent dismissed it with a wave. _

_"Oh, one little drink isn't going to do him any harm," he replied. _

_Vernon eagerly took the glass and put it to his lips, taking a gulp. Suddenly he made a gagging sound and started coughing. _

_"Oh that's disgusting!" he managed to spit out. _

_"Easy, easy," Vincent said, laughing. "That's strong stuff. Just take little sips." _

_"How can you drink that?" Vernon said, his face pinched in disgust. _

_"It does take some getting used to," Victoria agreed, finishing off her glass. _

_Vincent looked at his own half full glass and cast her a glance. _

_"Looks like you've had some practice," he suggested. _

_Victoria gave him an innocent look. _

_"Some of us just have a knack for it," she replied. "You seem to be taking your time with yours." _

_Vincent looked at her for a minute. Then he downed the rest of his and broke into a grin. _

_"What, you think you can outdrink me?" he questioned. _

_Victoria shrgged. _

_"You think I can't?" she replied. _

_Vincent's smile turned into a smirk. He filled their glasses once again. _

_"You asked for it," he said. "But don't come crying to me when you're puking on the floor." _

_"I wouldn't think of it," she replied. "And I can just picture the look on all your Turk friends faces when they find out you got drunk under the table by a girl." _

_Vincent raised an eyebrow, then picked up his glass and drank it down. He looked at Victoria. _

_"I hear a lot of talk," he said. "The question is, can you back it up?" _

_Victoria emptied her glass as well. _

_"I want some more," Vernon said. _

_"You've had enough," Victoria told him. _

_"Aw, c'mon," Vernon pleaded. _

_"I thought you didn't like it," Victoria pointed out. _

_"Oh, let him have another," Vincent said. _

_"You're a bad influence," she chided him. _

_"That's another thing you've know for a long time," Vincent replied. _

_Vincent gave Vernon his glass again. This time Vernon took his time and managed to drink a fair amount. _

_"That's enough," Vincent said, taking the glass back. "Don't want you to get drunk." _

_"Yeah, there should be somebody sober in the house," Victoria said. _

_"I'm still sober," Vincent responded. _

_"Well, we'll have to remedy that then," Victoria replied, filling their glasses again. _

_Vincent came over and sat down on the couch beside Victoria. The both drank their drinks. When they were done Victoria laughed. _

_"What's so funny?" Vincent asked, grining himself. _

_"I can't believe you're a Turk," she replied. "All this time you've spent dreaming about it, and your dream has finally come true. I have to admit, I never thought you had it in you, brother. I'm proud of you." _

_Vincent refreshed their glasses. _

_"Hey, don't go getting mushy on me now," he said. _

_The picked up their glasses, emptying them a bit more slowly this time. Vincent looked at Victoria thoughtfully. _

_"Well, I couldn't have done it without you," he said. _

_Victoria looked at him in surprise. _

_"Me?" she qeustioned. "What did I do?" _

_"You were the only who supported me," Vincent replied. "We both know how Mom and Dad feel about this, how they feel about me. They always said I wouldn't amount to anything." _

_Victoria gave him a reassuring smile. _

_"Don't be too hard on them," she said. "They mean well. Dad just wanted you to grow up like him. To continue his legacy. You know you haven't helped the situation." _

_"We're not the same person," Vincent said. _

_"I know that," she replied. "But it's hard for him. And you don't make it any easier for him, always being so contrary." _

_"Can you blame me?" Vincent replied. "Everything I've ever done, everything I've ever aspired to, that I wanted for myself, instead of for him, he's always torn down. Why should I try to get along with him when he doesn't give a damn about anything I say?" _

_Victoria filled up their glasss once more. _

_"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "I agree with you. He can be hard headed, but he's our dad. And your his oldest." _

_Vincent took a drink and shook his head. _

_"How I wish you had been born first," he said. "There's no way I can live up to his expectations." _

_Victoria didn't look thrilled with that idea. _

_"No thank you," she said. "I dont't need that kind of pressure. The truth is, I think it was very nice of you to be born first and take the pressure off of Vernon and I. But even I was born first, you'd still be the firstborn male." _

_"All right, I wish you had been born first and a male," Vincent replied with a grin. _

_"Oh brother," was her only response. _

_Vincent drained his glass and banged it on the table. _

_"This is getting depressing," Victoria said as she poured them both another, spilling a little on the table. "This is supposed to be a celebration, not a funeral." _

_"You're right," Vincent agreed. "And it doesn't matter now anyway. I've got my own career now. I'll have my own place at Shinra headquarters. I don't give a damn what the old man thinks anymore." _

_"All right then!" Victoria said supportively. _

_Vincent drained his glass and set it down, examining the glass in Victoria's hand. _

_"You're falling behind," he said. _

_"You've been dstracting me," she replied defensively. _

_"What an excuse," he mocked. _

_She finished her glass and Vincent filled them again. _

_"So when are you leaving?" she asked. _

_Vincent shrugged. _

_"The day after tomorrow, probably. They told me I didn't have to be there unitl Monday, but I don't see much point in sticking around here for the weekend. And it's not like I've got a lot of stuff to move. I don't think I'm going to be taking anything but some clothes." _

_"I heard they treat their employees really well," Victoria agreed. "They supply you with just about everything you need." _

_"Yup," Vincent replied. "Clothes, gun, everything." _

_"Can I see your gun?" Vernon asked. _

_Victoria gave him a sour look. _

_"It's not a toy," she said. _

_"Geez, I'm fourteen years old," Vernon protested. "I'm not a little kid anymore." _

_Vincent took another drink from his glass. It fell over when he went to set it down. _

_"Damn," he muttered. _

_"You're going to have to drink another glass to make up for what you spilled," Victoria stated. _

_"There was only a little bit left," Vincent replied. _

_"It doesn't matter," she said. "If you spill it you have to start over." _

_"Who made up that rule?" he questioned. _

_"I did," she replied smuggly. "Just now." _

_"Fill it up," Vincent said. _

_"I want to see the gun," Vernon repeated. "Please?" _

_Victoria finished her glass. _

_"Oh all right," she conceded. _

_Vincent looked at her in surprise. _

_"You're going to let him?" he asked. _

_"Why not?" she said. "Like he said, he's not a little kid anymore. And I'm not Mom, thank god. I don't see what it would hurt to show it to him." _

_Vincent got up. He paused for a moment to steady himself. Then he disappeared into the other room. He came back a few minutes later with a gun in his hand. He sat down as Vernon came up to stand eagerly beside him. Vincent held it out for him to look at. _

_"It's not loaded, is it?" Victoria questioned. _

_"Of course not," Vincent replied. _

_"Wow, that's really cool," Vernon said. He reached out to touch it but Vincent pulled it way. _

_"Look, don't touch," he said. _

_"But I..." Vernon began. _

_"No buts," Vincent said. "You wanted to see it. Well, here it is." _

_Vernon didn't look happy, but did not protest. _

_Victoria proffered a drink in front of Vincent's face. _

_"You're falling behind," she said. _

_Vincent put the gun down and picked up his glass. _

_"You've been distracting me," he replied. _

_"Distracting you?" she questioned. "I haven't done anything." _

_"You made me go get the gun." _

_"Vernon did that," she said. _

_"Yeah, but you were the one who said it was okay." _

_"Just drink," she gave up. _

_He drained his glass and Victoria poured them another one. This time most of the liquor ended up on the table. Victoria started to laugh. _

_"I think you're drunk," Vincent said. _

_"I am not!" Victoria denied. She burst out laughing again, and Vincent joined in. He put his glasss down and it rolled across the table and fell on the floor. _

_"That's the second time you've dropped that," Victoria said. "I think you're the one who's drunk." _

_"I'm no drunker than you," he said, getting down on his hands and knees and chasing after his glass. _

_"That's not saying much," she replied. _

_"Aha, so you are drunk," he stated, grabbing hold of the glass. _

_"I never said that," she contradicted. _

_"Yes you did, you just did," Vincent said adamantly, getting up on his knees and looking at her. _

_"Nope, nope," she said, shaking her head vigorously. "Didn't." _

_She looked at him. _

_"And what are you doing way over there?" she questioned. "Are you trying to run away? Have you given up?" _

_"Not likely," he replied. He stumbled to his feet and came back over, dropping down heavily beside her. "Not when I've got you right where I want you." _

_"Don't count on it, buster," she replied. She started to fill his glass again, but only a few drops came out. _

_"Oh fud, it's empty," she said. _

_"Oh fud?" he questioned. _

_"Yes, fud," she said. "Fud, fud, fud. Whassa matter with that?" _

_"Nothing," he replied, getting up. "But now we're going to have to get more." _

_"Get more what?" she questioned. _

_"Ummm, I forgot," he replied. _

_"Probably wasn't important then," she said. _

_"Uh huh," he replied. _

_They were silent for a moment. _

_"Why are you standing?" Victoria asked. _

_Vincent looked around. _

_"I don't know," he replied. _

_Victoria took the bottle and tried to pour herself another drink, but it was still empty. _

_"While you're up, could you get us another bottle?" she asked. _

_"Sure," he replied. _

_He walked unsteadily back into the pantry. He rummaged around in the cabinet for a minute. For some reason the bottles seemed to be very difficult to find. Eventually, though, he managed to grab hold of one. _

_He walked back into the other room. Victoria as sitting up on the couch, looking around blankly. Vernon sat in their father's lounge chair. Vincent's gun in his hand. _

_"I told you not to..." Vincent began. _

_The blast seemed defeaning, even to his inebriated ears. For a moment he stood there, not realizing what had happened. When it finally penetrated that Vernon had fired the weapon he almost laughed, but stopped when he saw the look on his younger brothers face. He turned to see Victoria slumped over onto the table in front of her, and blood. Blood everywhere. _

"Wait a second," Elena said in shocked surprise. "Are you telling me that Vernon was the one who shot Victoria. But I thought..."

"Just let me finish," Vincent said.

_He felt his stomach twisting. The pleasent feeling he had had a moment ago was washed away by an ice cold feeling of horror and fear. _

_"My god! Victoria. Victoria!" he cried out. _

_He rushed over to her and laid her back on the couch. Her shirt was soaked in blood. _

_"Victoria!" he screamed, desperately searching for some sign that she was somehow all right, that by some miracle the wound might not be serious. But she was unresponsive, her head hanging limply to the side. _

_He felt as if his own heart had been torn out. He felt her wrist, fumbling with trembling fingers for a pulse, but he could find nothing. He tore open her shirt and pressed his hand against the wound. _

_"Oh my god!" he cried out again. "Vernon, get help!" _

_Vernon was still sitting in the chair, his eyes wide. He was sobbing, but he did not move. _

_"Vernon please!" Vincent shouted. "Get on the phone. We need an ambulance!" _

_Vincent was about to get up and grab hold of Vernon when he suddenly moved. He ran into the other room. A moment later Vincent heard him on the phone. _

_Vincent tried to calm himself. He felt his heart racing a mile a minute. Victoria couldn't die, she just couldn't. What would he do, how would they ever live it down? _

_He still had his hands on her chest. They were drenched in blood now. So was she, and the couch. He had never seen so much blood. He couldn't stop it. How much could a person lose before they couldn't survive? _

_He heard himself praying to god, promising anything, if she would just live. He looked at Victoria. She hadn't moved since she had been shot. He couldn't see any sign of breathing, any sign that she was alive. Her face had an awful grey palor. Putting pressure on the wound didn't seem to be helping. There had to be something else he could do! _

_Vernon came back in, staring at their sister. Vincent looked up at him. _

_"Doctor Hamilton lives two houses down," he said. "Go get him. Bring him here." _

_Vernon just stared at him. _

_"Go!" Vincent shouted. _

_Still Vernon did not move. _

_"She's not going to die...is she?" he said slowly. _

_"Damn!" Vincent muttered. He didn't have time to argue, or to discuss it. "I'll get him myself!" _

_He stood up and ran past the younger boy. He heard Vernon cry out in protest, but he paid no heed. There was no time to try to comfort him, he had to get help. _

_The rush of adrenaline from the shooting had sobered him up, and the cold air stung him as he ran out into the night. He went out the back door, crossing into the woods behind the house, the fastest way to Dr. Hamilton's. There was an old trail through the woods, one he and Victoria had blazed when they were younger. It was a bit overgrown now, and some of the bushes slapped against his arms, drawing long lines of scratches, but, like the cold, he paid it no heed. _

_He reached the back door of the Hamilton's residence in minutes and banged on it furiously. It seemed to take forever to open, but eventually it did. Dr Hamilton frowned when he saw the state Vincent was in. _

_"What the...what's wrong?" _

_"You've got to come quick. Victoria's been shot." _

_Dr. Hamilton looked at Vincent for just a moment. Vincent didn't know what the man was thinking, it didn't even occur to him what kind of apppartion he made showling up on the man's doorstep covered with blood and stinking of alcohol. But the doctor said nothing, just grabbed his bag off the table and followed Vincent as he ran back. _

_Vincent had to keep pausing to let Dr. Hamilton keep up. Although the doctor was by no means an old man, he still had trouble keeping up with the speed of the adenaline charged younger man. Each time Vincent had to pause, the wait for the doctor seemed interminalbe. _

_Even so, it wasn't long before they broke out of the woods and entered the fields behind Vincent's house. As they did Vincent saw the flashing of red lights from the front of the house. As he ran toward the house Vincent felt hope at the sight of the sheriff's car in the driveway. They had arrived so quickly, maybe they were in time to help Victoria. _

_He burst back into the house and ran into the palor, leaving Dr. Hamilton to catch up on his own. Three uniformed men were in the room. Victoria still lay on the couch. None of the men were attempting to help her. _

_"What's going on?" he shouted. "How's Victo..." _

_His voice fell silent as he saw the looks the men were giving him. One of them stepped forward. _

_"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm afraid it's too late." _

_Vincent just looked at them, shaking his head but unable to speak, as he felt tears running down his cheeks. _

_"Vernon's told us everything," the man continued. "He told us it was an accident. We know you didn't mean to kill her."_

Elana looked at Vincent, the frown deepining on her brow.

"You mean Vernon told them that you were the one who shot Victoria?" she questioned.

Vincent nodded.

"Yes," he said. "He blamed it all on me."

"But...but," Elena began. "Didn't you tell them the truth? Didn't you tell them that Vernon was the one who had fired the shot?"

Vincent shook his head.

"You don't understand," he said. "I was the black sheep of the family. I was the one who had always been getting in trouble. Vernon was the one who could do no wrong. No one would have believed me. It would have just sounded like I was trying to lay the blame on him."

Elena still wasn't satisfied.

"But, wasn't there an investigation? Couldn't they have figured it out from fingerprints or something?"

"There was no investigation," Vincent said. "There was nothing to investigate. As far as everyone was concerned, they already knew what happened, they had already passed judgement. My father made sure that it was all taken care of very quickly and very quietly. He didn't want to put 'the family' through any added trauma."

"And that was it?" Elena said in disbelief. "They just took Vernon's word? They just condemned you out of hand, without even attempting to hear your side? Did you even try to tell them the truth?"

"It wouldn't have done any good," Vincent said, a bit sharply. "I could tell just by the look in my father's eyes when he came home. I knew right then there would be no good in even trying to argue. The investigation cleared me of any wroingdoing. It was labeled an unfortunate accident. I left the next day to join the Turks. I never saw my mother or father again."

Elena was silent for a moment.

"But that's horrible," she finally blurted out. "So no one ever told them the truth?"

"They went to their grave thinking I was the one who had killed Victoria. Vernon was only fourteen, I could understand him not wanting to be blamed. After all, it was still my gun, and it was my responsibility to make sure Vernon didn't touch it, and that it was unloaded. So in a way, it was my fault. But even when he got older, Vernon never told the truth, or showed the least bit of remorse for what he had done to me."

Elena nodded.

"So that's why you dislike him so much," she said slowly.

"I spoke to him a few times in the years following, before the whole thing with Hojo. Each time he seemed more and more like a clone of my father. Money seemed to be all he was interested in."

Elena looked thoughtful.

"And when your parents were killed," she said. "He told me he suspsected you of doing that. Do you think it could have been him?"

"I don't know," Vincent replied. "It wouldn't surprise me, but I left them all behind me. I didn't care what happened to any of them. I still don't. When Victoria died, my family died along with her."

Elena looked at the ground.

"That's so sad," she said softly.

Vincent just shrugged.

"It was a long time ago," he said, just as quietly.

She looked up at him again.

"I have just one more question."

"Only one?" he said.

"One for now," she amended. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

Vincent didn't answer right away. When he spoke again, it was in a measured tone.

"I have never told anyone that story. I'm not exactly sure why. I guess the truth of it is...I wasn't sure you'd believe me."

Elena looked at him sympathetically. She came toward him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Of coure I believe you," she said, looking into his eyes. "It all makes sense now. I was so afraid, being kept in the dark. I was afraid you were hiding something. You don't know how glad it makes me to finally know the truth."

Vincent did not reply, just stood there returning her gaze. But his arms slowly came up to encircle her as well.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you for telling me. For letting me in."

The trace of a smile tugged at Vincent's lip.

"I'm just glad to have you back," he said.

Then he pulled her closer still, and pressed his lips against hers.


	33. Final Farewell

CHAPTER XXXIII

FINAL FAREWELL

"Ellengio?"

Aeris waited patiently, but the Ancient did not respond, nor even turn toward her. He just sat there looking out over the ship on the ledge below them.

Aeris came up beside him and sat down.

"I'm sorry," she said.

For a moment he still didn't speak. Finally he turned and looked at her.

"You have no need to apologize," he said. "You did what you thought was right. There is no dishonor in that. I don't blame you. It's too late for that now. Right or wrong, the generator has been activated and Shinialyn is cut off...forever."

Aeris looked up at the clear blue sky.

"Forever is a long time," she said.

Ellengio looked at her, and for the first time since the reactivation of the generator, she saw him smile.

"The optimism of youth," he said. "Yes, forever is a long time. No one knows what the future holds. The world changes. And if you don't adapt to that, you are left behind. I suppose that is what happened to us Cetra. I don't blame you for what you did, Aeris, though I don't agree with it. But's it's over now. I was never much of one to dwell on the past. Our race has come to it's end. I have no choice but to accept that. But it's time now to look to the future."

He stood up and gazed out into the desert, a thoughtful look on his face.

"The Chadara are a good people," he stated. "The Cetra and Jenova made their own bed, and you could say whatever they got they deserved. But the Chadara had nothing to do with this. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, really. They were the only true innocents here."

Aeris stood up beside him but said nothing.

"They are an intelligent people," Ellengio continued. "They should have had a fine civilization here. But now I fear this war between Jenova and the Cetra has nearly destroyed them. Who knows how long it will take for them to even return to their former level, much less advance beyond that? They could use all the help they can get."

Aeris nodded slowly, then turned toward him suddenly and gave him a probing look.

"You're planning on staying here, aren't you?" she asked.

Ellenegio paused for just a moment, then nodded.

"The Cetra were the reason Jenova came here, the reason so much harm was done," he said. "It would be fitting, don't you think, then, if it was a Cetra who gave them a hand reconstructing? It's the least I could do, really. It's the least the Cetra could do. And maybe, just maybe, I can make up, just a little bit, for what we did to them."

Aeris was silent for a moment. This was something she hadn't expected. But the more she thought about it, the more sense it made to her. This was more like the Ellengio she had come to know.

"You're a good man, Ellengio," she said.

"Perhaps," he replied. "I just think it would be better this way. Besides, I've a feeling it would be better if we parted ways now. I've a feeling most of your companions will not be as forgiving as you are."

Aeris conceded the point with a curt nod.

"I will still miss you," she said.

"And I you," he replied. "There was so much I wanted to discuss with you. It seems that every moment we spent together was hectic. We never really got a chance to just sit down and talk."

"I know," Aeris said, nodding in agreement. "I would have liked that."

"When are you leaving?" he asked.

"As soon as Cid is done with the preperations," Aeris replied. "It shouldn't be long now. I really should go down and give them a hand."

"Yes, well, don't let me stop you."

Ellengio turned away and looked out at the horizen. Aeris stood there for a moment looking at him. Somehow, she thought there was more she could say. Ellengio seemed to sense her hesitation.

"Go on," he said. "The Cetra's time is over. The humans are your people. You said so yourself. You belong with them."

Still Aeris hesitated. But she realized there really wasn't much else she could say.

"Good luck, Ellengio."

"Good luck to you too, Aeris," he replied. "I wish you well."

Aeris turned and walked slowly back down the ridge. She looked back once to see him still staring out at the plain far below. Even though she didn't agree with what Ellengio had done, had tried to do, she still couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He had only done what he thought was best for the Cetra. She could hardly blame him for that.

Most of the others were busy loading supplies into the ship. Cid stood by Reeve, who was looking over a clipboard. The others stood by as Cloud picked up the last of the crates to be brought on board

"Reeve, where should we put this?" he asked.

"In storage bay two," Reeve replied.

"I don't know why we need all these supplies," Yuffie said. "We came with more than enough. We certainly didn't use half of what we brought. This is just a waste of time."

"Oh stop your complaining," Cloud chided.

"Don't be too hard on her," Elena contributed. "At least she's giving us a hand, unlike Mr. sore back over there."

Yuffie looked over at Reno, who was sitting in the shade of the spaceship, out of earshot.

"Yeah, like he was anymore beat up than the rest of us," Elena said sarcastically.

"Ellengio is going to stay," Aeris said.

The others looked at her in surprise. Cloud stopped and put the crate he was holding down.

"Stay, as in here?" Yuffie said.

Cloud frowned.

"What is he up to?" he asked suspiciously.

"He's not up to anything," Aeris replied. "He wants to help the Chadara. He says it's the least he could do."

Cloud and the others still looked skeptical.

"You sure he's not up to something?" Cloud asked candidly. "How do you know he's not going to just wait for us to leave and then try to shut down the generator?"

"You know he can't do that," Aeris replied. "The lifestream is protecting it. He can't get to it anymore. No one can."

"You don't know that for sure," Cloud replied, still not convinced.

"Cloud, he's not going to cause any trouble. He's only staying to help the Chadara."

"Or so he told you," Cloud reminded her.

"And I believe him," she said, a bit defensively.

Cloud shook his head.

"Aeris, we all know how trusting you can be. And there's nothing wrong with that. But sometimes...well...just look at his track record! How are we supposed to trust him now?"

"So what are you saying?" Aeris replied. "That you won't let him stay? I don't see how you can prevent it."

"We can hog tie his ass and dump him in the hold," Cid suggested.

"I think that would be a very bad idea," Aeris replied. "And quite impossible too, if he didn't want you to. In spite of all that happened, he didn't fight us, I'd like to remind you. And no matter what you may think of him, he's still a Cetra, and I don't think you'd want to."

"Well, that may be, but I still don't think it's a good idea to let him stay," Cloud said. "We came here to finish this. To be sure that we would never have to worry about Jenova again. How can we do that if he stays?"

Zack and Roshnialu appearing coming up the slope with a group of Chadara.

"What's up?" Zack questioned.

"Ellengio says he's going to stay here," Elena told him.

Zack looked back and forth between them.

"Cloud thinks it's a very bad idea," Aeris stated.

Zack paused for a moment.

"I could imagine you would think so. But..."

He paused, first looking at them, then at Roshnialu. It became obvious he had something on his mind.

"But what?" Yuffie said impatienly.

"But..." Zack said, then paused again. Once more he looked at Roshnialu. "But I'm going to stay too," he said finally.

"What?" Cloud and Aeris both exclaimed together.

Zack looked as if he had been expecting just such a response.

"Zack, you can't be serious," Cloud said. "I can understand Ellengio. Earth isn't his planet. Not really. I can understand him wanting to be close to Shinialyn, even if he can't get there himself. But you, Zack, earth is your home, not Grouchoon."

Aeris stepped forward.

"I can understand you wanting to stay," she said, glancing over at Roshinialu. "But is that really what you want to do? You know Roshnialu would be welcome to come back with us."

"I know," Zack replied. "But this is her home. She had ties here. And they need her. They need her wisdom and strength to rebuild. She can't leave now."

"But earth is your home," Cloud said.

"I don't have a home," Zack replied. "Not really. Ever since I lost my memory, there has been nothing left for me on our planet. All this time I've been chasing a phantom, the ghost of my former life. This is a chance for me to start anew. No one knows me here. I have no past on this planet. There aren't any old ghosts here to come back to haunt me."

They were all silent for a moment. Aeris could hardly believe that Zack would be staying behind as well. She wanted to ask him again if he was sure, almost didn't want to believe what he was telling them. But she could tell just by the look on his face that he had made up his mind.

"I can't believe it," she heard Tifa say. "Zack, are you sure?"

Rohsnialu came up beside him and he took hold of her hand.

"Yes," he replied. "There is no doubt, not anymore. But this is not a time to be sad. For the first time since I can remember, I'm truely happy. This is my place now."

Aeris stepped forward. She didn't want to leave Zack behind, but she also somehow knew that he was right. This was the best thing for him. She placed her hand on his arm, then slipped her arms around him and hugged him.

"I'll miss you," she said. "But I'm happy for you too."

He looked down at her, smiling. Then he kissed her goodbye.

"I'll never forget you," he said. "For a long time, you were the one thing I had to hold on to. Thank you, Aeris."

Aeris nodded, then turned away, the full realization of what he was saying finally sinking in. There was little likelyhood they would ever see each other again. She walked away, tears forming in her eyes.

Cloud stepped forward, and he and Zack lookd at one another for a moment. He put out his hand, and Zack took it and pulled him closer, and the two embraced. Then Zack stepped back.

"I'll miss you too," he said. "I don't remember much about our friendship, but I know it was important to both of us."

Cloud just nodded slowly, at a loss for words, torn between sadness and happiness for his long lost friend. Finally he managed to speak.

"Good luck, buddy."

Each of the others came forward to wish Zack luck. When they were done Zack spoke again.

"Well, I was going to give you a hand getting ready for the trip, but it looks like you're just about done."

"Yeah," Cid said. "Just this one crate to go and we'll be all set."

"I bet you can't wait to get back," Zack said.

"Yeah," Cloud said, but his voice was strangely amibivilant.

For a moment there was an awkward silence.

"Well, no sense in dragging this out," Zack broke it. "I've said my piece. I wish you all well. Now you better be on your way. The sooner you're safe on your way back, the better I'll feel."

One of the Chadara had been looking them over carefully. Now he stepped forward until he stood in front of Elena.

"Hooman," he said.

Elena stared at him for a moment, then her face brightened.

"Winslow!" she exclaimed. "Hey everyone, it's Winslow!"

"Winslow? Who the hell is Winslow?" Yuffie questioned.

"He's the Chadara that saved Elena's life," Cloud replied.

"And his name is Winslow?" Yuffie said.

"That's not his real name," Elena said. "We just called him that."

Roshinialu came over and spoke rapidly to Lai Li.

"Roshnialu says his name is Donalis," Lai Li said.

"Donalis? That's the guy that helped us in Darius," Cait said.

"Yeah, he's kinda the unoffical leader of the revolt," Lai Li said.

Donalis spoke again, looking at Elena

"On behalf of all the Chadara, he wants to thank us all for everyting we've done. He says they'll never forget us, especially you, Elena."

Elena looked at him for a moment, her face showing both happiness and embarassment.

"And we won't forget you either, Win..uh, Donalis," she said. "And I don't think I ever properly thanked you for saving my life."

She leaned forward and kissed the Chadara on the cheek. He just looked at her curiously.

"All right," Cid agreed. "Let's get this crate aboard and get the hell out of here."

"Just one more thing," Cloud said, looking at Zack once more. "I probably don't have to say this, but as long as you're staying, do you think you could keep on eye on Ellengio?"

"Cloud," Aeris spoke up.

"Don't worry," Zack said. "You know I'm as suspicious of him as you are. Roshinialu and I will make sure he doesn't cause any trouble."

Cloud nodded, feeling a little better about the whole thing now.

"All righ then."

He lifted the crate again, and without another word they all piled into the ship. Cid made a few final preperations, and then annouced they were ready to go. They looked out the front windeshield to see Zack and Roshinalu still standing where they left them. Surprisingly, Ellengio had come up to stand beside them. They all waved one final time. Then they turned to move off to a safe distance.

"I can't believe we're leaving them behind," Aeris said.

"Yeah," Cloud agreed. "But he's happy, that's the important thing. I hope everything works out for them. Roshnialu seems like a very unusal woman. I would have never thought she was his type. Seems Zack has a taste for the exotic."

"And what's wrong with that?" Aeris asked.

"Nothing at all," Cloud replied.

"All right, let's get this show on the road," Cid announced. "Everyone, strap yourselves in and prepare for takeoff."

The others did as they were told. Soon they all felt the dull reverberation as the engines came to life. The sound quickly rose to a loud roar.

"Here we go!" Cid exclaimed.

Suddenly the entire rocket ship shuddered. Aeris felt her hands involuntarily tighten on the seat as the ship began to move. With surprising speed the rocket accelerated, until they all felt themselves being pushed back in their chairs. Aeris tried to look out the front windshield, to catch a glimpse of the planet below them, but all she could see was sky. The ship climed steadily for some time, and for a long time it seemed as if they were motionless, the ever changing sky in front of them, and only the tug of the g forces giving away the fact that they were moving at all. But eventually the blue sky in front of them darkened into the black of space. Soon after the g force suddenly faded away, as Cid cut the engines.

"Okay," he said. "We're on our way home. You can all get up now if you want. As soon as we get far enough away from the planet, we can use the black materia again."

Aeris got up out of her seat and immediately walked back to the observation room. She sat down on the couch there, looking out into space. She couldn't see either Shinialyn or Grouchoon from this postition, for both were behind them, hidden from view by the bulk of the spaceship, but she could once more hear the sounds of all the other planets. She sat in silence, not moving, just absorbing it all. She didn't think she had ever heard anything as beautiful.

And that was just how Reeve found her about an hour later. He came in as quietly as he could, be she turned as soon as he entered. He came over and sat beside her.

"It's almost time to use the black materia," he said. "Are you just about ready?"

"I suppose," Aeris replied. "Although I'm a little nervous about it. Last time Ellengio did most of the work. I hope I'm up to it."

"I do too," he replied, looking at her thoughtfully. "Is there any chance something could go wrong?"

"I don't know," Aeris said honestly. "If I can't summon the wormhole, then we'd obviously be stuck here. But if you meant something else, something even worse, like getting lost somewhere in the universe, I don't think so."

"I guess that was kinda what I meant," he replied. "It seems like we've been gone forever. I'm starting to get homesick, I think. It would be a shame if something happened now, after it's all over."

"Yes," she replied. "But don't worry, we'll be fine."

He looked closely at her while she gave him a reassuring smile.

"Okay, I believe you," he said finally.

They were silent for a moment.

"I can't believe Zack and Ellengio both stayed behind," Reeve said.

"I know," Aeris agreed. She looked at him for a moment before she spoke again. "You looked a little upset there after we parted. That kiss thing didn't bother you, did it?"

"No, of course not," Reeve said immediately. Then hesitated. "Well, okay, maybe a little. But that wasn't what I was really concerned with."

"Then what was it?" she asked.

Again he hesitated, looking into her green eyes.

"It was just that, well, Ellengio is the only Cetra left, and Roshnialu was half Cetra too, and they were both staying behind. I was a little worried that...well, that you might want to as well. Stay, I mean. After all, Grouchooon is probably as close to Shinialyn, the home of the Cetra, as you were ever going to get. I was just...well, worried, you know?"

Aeris rested a reassuring hand on his knee.

"You shouldn't have been worried," she said. "I never lived on Shinialyn. All my life I've lived on earth among humans. That's the only home I know, the only home I want. And the truth is, I can't wait to get back there."

Reeve nodded, obvious relief on his face.

"That's good," he said. "That's very good. Cause Grouchoon wouldn't really be my first choice of places to spend the rest of my life. Not that I have anything against it, or the poeple there, of course. It's just that it wasn't really my kind of planet."

"Well, you can rest easy then," Aeris said with a smile. "But would you really have stayed, if I had decided to?"

"I think you already know the answer to that," the replied. "Anyplace would be heaven for me, as long as you're there."

Aeris smiled.

"Why Reeve, if I didn't know you better, I'd think you were trying to sweet talk me."

"I'm only telling the truth," he replied.

She leaned forward and kissed him.

"I know that," she said. "And that's what I love about you."

Red suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, eyeing the two of them. "But Cid says we are far enough away from the planets to use the black materia."

Aeris and Reeve both stood up.

"Okay," Aeris replied. "Do you know where Tifa is?"

"She's with Cloud in the control room," Red replied.

"Could you ask her to come to the forward cabin please?"

"Sure," Red replied, and immediately trotted back down the corridor. He found Tifa and told her of Aeris request. Tifa lookd surprised.

"What does she want me for?" she asked.

Red shrugged.

"She didn't say."

Tifa nodded and walked quickly down to the cabin, wondering what was going on. She found Aeris sitting on the floor, the black materia in front of her. She looked up as Tifa came in.

"I need some help with this," she said without preamble.

Tifa looked at her in surprise.

"You want me to help?" she said. "But I don't know anything about this."

"Last time I used this Ellengio was with me, and he did most of the work. I don't know whether I can do it by myself. You've used materia before," Aeris said.

"So have we all," Tifa pointed out.

"I know," Aeris replied. "I don't know how to explain it. I just feel like I'd be more comfortable if you were with me. I'm going to need some help and we've been through so much together. So please..." she indicated for Tifa to join her.

Tifa hesitated for just a moment. She was pleased that Aeris felt that way, but she wasn't sure she was worthy of it. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. Still, if Aeris had that much faith in her, she was more than willing to try. She took her place on the floor opposite the young Ancient.

"So what do I have to do?" she asked.

"You have to think of a door," Aeris replied.

"Huh?"

"In order for this to work you have to visualize a gateway in space. I have no idea what a wormhole would look like. But it's the function, not the form that counts. So when I did this with Ellengio I pictured it as a door. Just try to think of a door, but not just any door, one you are very familar with. One you know every detail about. Can you do that?"

Tifa paused for just a moment.

"Sure," she said. "I'll just picture the door to the bar. I know every dent on it."

Aeris nodded.

"Okay. Just keep in mind that even after the materia releases, and the wormhole forms, we still have to concentrate. The door has to stay open until the ship passes through."

"How will we know when that happens?" Tifa questioned.

"Don't worry, you will," Aeris replied. "Are you ready then?"

Tifa looked at her again. She still wasn't sure she was best choice for this.

"Yes," she said.

Aeris reached out and placed her hands on the black materia.

"Put you hands over mine," she said. "It's going to feel a little funny, but it's important that once we start you don't remove your hands until we're done."

"I undestand," Tifa said. She reached out and put her hands on Aeris'. If Aeris hadn't warned her, she would have pulled away. The black materia felt like a living thing beneath them.

She looked at Aeris again, but her friend had her head bowed, her eyes closed. Tifa closed her own eyes as well. She tried to clear her mind and concentrate on the door to the bar. At first it was difficult. She found it hard to think about just one thing. In spite of her attempts to concentrate, she found her mind wandering. The vibration of ths ship, even her own breathing seemed to interfere. The longer she tried and couldn't do it, the more frustrated she got.

Finally she realized that she was trying too hard. Instead on concentrating on the door, she just concentrated on trying to relax. That seemed to help, and slowly the sounds around her seemed to fade into the background. It was only then that she thought about the door.

Almost immediately, she felt sudden warmth from the black materia. She hadn't realized before how hot it was in the room. She felt sweat beading on her forehead, and for a moment, she almost lost her concentration again. But she took slow deep breaths, felt her whole body relax, and focused on the door.

Her hands felt hot now, so hot she could hardly stand it. She wondered how Aeris, whose hands were underneath hers, could continue to keep her hands on the materia. But she did not let go. Her mind was focused now, and she was determined not to lose that focus, no matter what happened.

The warm beneath her hands continued to increase, and she could feel the power building up. She had used materia before, but it had never felt like this. Even knights of the round didn't compare to the raw power she felt now. It awed her with it's strength. And scared her as well. A power like this could consume both of them them, if not controlled properly.

She had thought it was hot before, but the heat increased again. Suddenly she felt buring pain shoot through her body as the power flowed through her and out of her. For just a moment she felt as if a thousand volts of electricity were coursing through her. But then, before she could even cry out, it was gone, and she knew the materia had released.

She almost opened her eyes then, feeling a rush of triumph, but she remembered what Aeris had told her. She had to continue to concentrate. The job was only half done. They couldn't relax until the ship was through the wormhole.

Sweat drenched her body now, but she wasn't thinking about it. When the matera had released, she had been sorely tempted to open her eyes. But now she thought once more about the door. The door to her bar in Kalm. They only had to hold out a little longer.

But she wondered just how much a little longer could last. It seemed to be taking forever. She felt completely spent, and it was a chore just to remain in a sitting position and not fall to the floor in exhaustion. She knew she couldn't do this much longer. What the hell was taking them so long?

Even as she thought she couldn't sit up any longer, the world suddnely convulsed around them. For a moment she felt completely disoriented, then everything faded away into darkness.

She opend her eyes to find herself lying on the floor, the black matiera near one arm. Aeris was on her hands and knees a foot away, looking at her. Aries was soaked in sweat as well, and she looked as exhausted as Tifa felt.

"How long was I out?" Tifa asked.

Aeris shook her head.

"I don't know," she replied.

"Did we do it?" Tifa asked weakly.

Aeris held out her hand.

"Let's go take a look."

Together they struggled to their feet and made their way slowly to the observation room. Cloud and Reeve were already there, along with some of the others. Cloud came over to Tifa as soon as he saw her, a look of concern on his face.

"Are you all right?" he questioned.

"I'm fine," Tifa replied, having regained a little bit of her strength. "Did we do it?"

Cloud waved his arm at the window.

"See for yourselves."

The two girls walked up the window and looked out into space. Off in the distance, but easily distinguishable, was the cloud wrapped surface of their own planet. Tifa looked at Aeris and smiled.

"We did it," she said.

Aeris put her arm around her friends shoulder.

"We sure did," she replied. "And doesn't it ever look sweet."


	34. Preparations

CHAPTER XXXIV

PREPERATIONS

"What do you think of this color?" Tifa asked.

"I love it," Aeris replied.

Yuffie didn't look so enthusiastic.

"You don't like it?" Tifa questioned.

"I didn't say that," Yuffie replied. "Green's just not my color."

"What are you talking about? You wear green all the time," Aeris pointed out.

"Yeah, but what I wear is darker than that," Yuffie replied.

"So it's just that shade of green," Aeris said.

"Yeah, that one's kinda light."

"So you don't like it?" Tifa questioned.

"Not really," Yuffie replied.

"You haven't liked one color I've picked out yet," Tifa said.

"What can I say, I'm fussy," Yuffie replied defensively.

"It's your wedding," Aeris said to Tifa. "Pick out the colors YOU like."

"I know," Tifa replied. "I just want everyone to be happy."

"With this many people involved, I'm not sure that's possible," Aeris replied. "Have you settled on the wedding party yet?"

Tifa looked uncomfortable.

"Speaking of that," she said, giving Yuffie a long look, which the young ninja picked up on immediatly.

"What?" she said guardedly.

Tifa bit her lower lip.

"Umm, how would you feel being matched up with Cait?"

The look on Yuffie's face was pretty much the reaction Tifa had obviously been expecting.

"You want to match me with a stuffed toy?" Yuffie exclaimed.

"He's not a stuffed toy," Tifa said. "All right, maybe he is. But he's more than that. He's our friend."

Yuffie was not so easily appeased.

"Oh that's right, he's also a robot with an annoying personality," she said. "Why does he even have to invited, anyway. After all, he was controlled by Reeve, and Reeve's going to be in the wedding party, right? So that's like asking Reeve twice. And besides, it's not like you're going to hurt his feelings."

"Yeah," Tifa conceded. "But he's not controlled by Reeve anymore, and he was with us when we fought Sephiroth. He's one of us, even if he is a robot. I'd feel weird not including him."

"So why can't you put him with someone else?" Yuffie whined.

"Who?" Tifa asked. "Cid's going to be with Aeris. That is, if Cloud ever gets around to asking him to be best man. So Shera's with Reeve. Vincent and Elena, Red and Nipala. You can't split them up You're the only one who's unattached."

"Lucky me," Yuffie grumbled.

"Oh stop complaining," Aeris admonished. "You'll just have to take a few pictures with him. It's not like you're required to hang out with him or anything."

"That's bad enough," Yuffie replied. "What about Barret? Isn't he going to be in the wedding party?"

"You'd want to be with Barret?" Aeris asked in surprise.

"Well, he'd be better than Cait," Yuffie responded. "Who's he going to be matched up with? You didn't even mention him."

"He's not going to be matched up with anyone," Tifa replied.

"What do you mean?" Yuffie said in surprise. "Isn't he going to be in the wedding party?"

"Not exactly," Tifa began.

Just then the door to the room opened and Cloud stuck his head in.

"Are you girls going to be in here all day?" he questioned.

"We're planning the wedding," Tifa told him.

"You've been doing that all day," Cloud replied. "In fact, you've been doing it since we got back from space. It's been almost a week now. What's left to plan?"

"Cloud, this isn't something that can be done in a day," Tifa replied a bit testily. "The weddings only two weeks away, and there's a million perperations to make. Would you rather I asked you to help?"

"No thanks," Cloud replied quickly. "I'll leave it up to you. But you might want to come downstairs. We've got company."

"Who?" Tifa questioned, but Cloud was already out the door.

She looked at the others.

"Guess we better go find out."

The other two followed Tifa as she walked down the stairs of Elmyra's old house. In the palor below they found Cid, Vincent, Elena, Barret and Amanda.

"Well, this is a surprise," Tifa said, smiling. "What brings you here?"

"We're on our way to Mideel to talk to Dr. Nathan, to see if he knows anything about what happened to Amanda, and we thought you guys might want to come along," Barret said.

"Sure," Cloud said immediately. Then he looked at Tifa. "At least, I want to. The girls have been kinda busy."

"No, I want to go too," Tifa said. "I'd like to find out what he knows as well."

"How are the wedding plans going?" Barret asked.

"That's what they've been busy with," Cloud stated. "Every waking moment."

Tifa rolled her eyes.

"Barret," she said, suddenly looking serious. "I have to ask a favor of you."

Barret looked at her, his brow furrowing.

"A favor. Sure," he replied. "What is it?"

"Never say sure before you hear the favor," Yuffie offered advive.

Barret ignored her.

"It's about the wedding," Tifa began. She hesitated a moment, and Barret frowned.

"Just say what ya gotta say," he said bluntly.

"I'm not sure you'll want to go along with this. I know you probably want to be in the wedding party."

Barret's eyes lifted slightly in surpise, but he said nothing.

"But I would like you to do something else for me. If you don't mind. You know my father was killed by Sephiroth when he destroyed Nibelheim. So I was wondering if maybe you'd like to walk me down the aisle."

Barret stood there for a moment, obviously surprised.

"You want me to give you away?" he questioned.

"I can't think of anyone I'd rather have do it," she said. "After all, of everyone, I've know you the longest. Except for Cloud, of course. You've always looked after me and protected me whenever you could. You've always been almost like a father to me. So please, will you?"

Barret scratched his head and stood looking embarrassed. Then he nodded.

"Well, of course I'll do it, Teef. In fact, I'd be honored."

Tifa smiled.

"Thank you Barret," she said.

"All right!" Aeris said excitedly. "This is so much fun. We should have weddings more often."

"Don't rush us," Yuffie piped up.

Tifa turned to look at Cloud.

"And by the way, don't you have something to say to Cid?" she asked.

It took Cloud a moment to get the picture.

"Oh yeah," he said, swiveling toward Cid. "You wanna be my best man?"

"Sure," Cid replied.

"Okay then," Cloud said, turning back to Tifa. "That's that. Are we ready to get going?"

Tifa just looked at him for a moment, then sighed.

"I guess so."

The Slipstream was parked on a grassy field just outside of Kalm. They quickly piled in and lifted off. Once off the ground Cid let Cloud take over the controls, and he flew most of the way to Mideel. This was the third time he had flown the Slipstream since they had returned, and the trip went without incident. Tifa had to admit she was feeling much more comfortable with Cloud's flying. He seemed to be picking it up very quickly. In fact, lately she had been thinking about asking Cid to give her a lesson or two. But she figured it could wait a little while longer.

They landed on a small airfield that had just recently been built to accomodate the growing commerical and tourist trade of Mideel. In fact, the airport wasn't even complete yet, with only the one runway and a portion of the tower actually finished. From there they made there way into the town, which was now almost twice as large as it had been when they were last here, even before it was destroyed. Not only was it larger, but the layout was completely different, and it took them some time to find the office of Dr. Nathan. But eventually, after gettting lost once or twice, they managed to run across it.

The receptionist looked up at them as the entered the small office.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"We'd like to speak Dr. Nathan," Barret spoke up.

"Do you have an appointment," she asked.

"No," Cloud replied. "We're not sick. It's a personal visit."

"Well, he's with a patient right now, and he has appointments through the rest of the day, so I don't know if he'll be available anytime soon. Can I ask the nature of the business?"

"Tell him it's about Hojo's Nathan project," Vincent said, suddenly stepping forward.

The smile that was on the womans lips faded quickly in the glare of the fierly red eyes of the dark caped man. She stood up.

"I'll just be a moment," she said tersely and disappeared into the other room.

"Is it really necessary to scare the hell out of everyone we run into?" Elena asked.

"I'm merely being direct," Vincent replied calmly. "And it usually gets results, so I don't think you have any reason to complain."

Elena fell silent. A few moments later the nurse returned.

"Dr. Nathan said he would see you," she said, her eyes studiously avoiding Vincent. "He's down the hallway in examination room two."

"Thanks," Cloud said.

They walked down the hall and found the room. Inside Dr. Nathna looked at them closely as they entered.

"Why it's Mr. Strife and Miss. Lockheart," he said in surprise, his face immediately brightening. "What are you doing here?"

"We told your receptionist," Vincent replied. "It's about Hojo and the Nathan project."

Dr. Nathan's smile disappeared immediately.

"Please do not mention that name in my presense," he said.

The other's looked at him in surprise.

He shook his head slowly.

"I'm, sorry. I never thought I would hear those words again," he said sadly. "That was a long time ago, and it's not something I wish to be reminded of. It's all part of the past. What has it got to do with anything now?"

"So you know about it?" Cloud questioned.

"Yes," Dr. Nathan replied.

"It was some kind of project by..." Vincent began, "to inject mako into someone to try to give them the ability to use materia spells without materia. Correct?"

Dr. Nathan nodded.

"But it never worked," he stated. "At first nothing happened. So Hojo kept trying higher and higher doses. Eventually the poeple got sick, but that didn't deter him. He kept right on increasing the doses until they began to die. And when they did, he would just replace them and try again. It was always the fault of the subject, they were always flawed in some way. At least, that was his opinion. So he kept trying, hoping to find just the right person, just the right mixture. But it always resulted in failure. Early on he wanted to attempt it with a woman, but I and most of the others scientists put our foot down. But Hojo was a devious bastard, much more cunning and evil than any of us had suspected. Not long after we had vetoed the use of a woman, he decided to go ahead with it anyway, without the knowledge of any of us. He secretly poisoned the food of one of the woman on the project with mako. She soon became ill, but by the time we found out what was wrong it was too late to help her. The only chance she had by then was to finish the mako infusions with injections and hope that the project worked, that she somehow survived. We had no choice but to continue. And we couldn't do it without Hojo. He was the only one with the knowledge to successfully carry it out, if it could be done at all. In spite of the fact that I wanted more than anything to kill the man, I was forced to work with him, to save the woman."

"Was that the woman you told me about when I asked you if any females had ever been injected with mako before?" Cloud questioned.

Dr. Nathan nodded.

"Yes," he said. "But in spite of all our efforts, the woman died. The project was a faliure, and Hojo fled, before I had a chance to...avenge her."

They all stood there for a moment in silence. Then, much to the surprise of the others, Vincent stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder.

"This woman was your wife," he said, more like a statement than question.

Dr. Nathan nodded slowly.

"I too lost much because of Hojo," Vincent said. "But tell me, why did Hojo pick her?"

Dr. Nathan looked up into Vincent's eyes. Eyes that looked suddenly very human.

"Because she was pregnant," he replied.

Dr. Nathan lowered his head.

"I lost them both," he said softly. "Everything I ever cared about. All gone because of some madman's ambition.."

He was intterupted as Amanda stepped forward.

"Pregnant?" she repeated.

Dr. Nathan looked at her for the first time.

"Yes, pregnant," he replied. "The child died too."

"Are you sure?" Amanda questioned, her voice sounding oddly excited.

"Yes," Dr. Nathan replied. "I'm sure. They...he took her away."

Dr. Nathan paused, as if thinking back to the details of the day.

"They took her away. I was so distraught. Hojo took the body. But...but I never actually saw the baby. I never..."

He stopped and looked around at them.

"Did you have a name?" Vincent questioned.

"Huh?" Dr. Nathan asked.

"Did you have a name? Picked out for the baby?"

Dr. Nathan hesitated a second.

"Why yes, it was Amanda."

Amanda's eyes grew wide. Dr. Nathan looked at her and frowned. For a moment, they stood looking at each other. Then something seemed to click. Dr. Nathan's mouth opened, then closed abruptly, as a look of wonder entered his eyes.

"Amanda?" he said hesitantly.

Amanda mouth opened, but nothing came out. Finally she found her voice.

"Father?" she said, the sound barely comprehensible. "My...real father?"

Dr. Nathan looked around at the others, a mixture of bewilderment and euphoria on his face.

"She can do it," Cloud said. "She can use materia spells without materia. The experiment was a success, but it worked for the unborn child, not the woman."

Dr. Nathan shook his head slowly, his face still registering shock. Finally he looked at Amanda again.

"Amanda. My daughter."

Then the spell was broken, and with cries of joy they flew into one another's arms.

* * *

"Well, if that don't beat all," Barret muttered.

They stood on the street outside of Dr. Nathan's office. Aeris had suggested they give the doctor and his daughter some time alone. The others had agreed and quietly slipped out, telling the doctor they'd be back in a while.

"It is kind of amazing, isn't it?" Aeris said. "After all these years, each thinking the other was dead. It's almost like a fairy tale."

"Yup," Cid stated. "Anybody hungry?"

"I am," Cloud responded immediatley.

"All you two ever think about is food," Tifa chided.

"Is not," Cloud replied, taking hold of her hand. "I think about you too."

"Ooh, smooth," Cid commented while Tifa just looked away, slightly embarrassed but with a smile on her face.

"I think we passed a place on the way here," Yuffie said. "C'mon."

They started down the road, back the way they had come.

"So you think Amanda will stay here in Mideel now?" Cid asked.

Barret looked unhappy at the prospect.

"Well, he is her father," Cloud said. "I would imagine they'd want to stay together, after all these years of being apart. And I can't see Dr. Nathan going anyplace. He's got a thriving practice here."

"But what about those people who had her?" Barret asked, his voice tinged with worry. "We haven't seen any sign of them, but that doesn't mean that they're not out there somewhere, searching for her. I think she needs some kind of protection."

"We're a long way from Corel," Cloud pointed out. "They probably have no idea where she is. In fact, they might have assumed she's just taken off somewhere and they won't bother with her. After all, it wasn't her they were after, it was you."

"And we still don't know why," Cid reminded them. "And somehow I don't think that they're going to give up so easily. You're the mayor of Corel, Barret, you're a prominent figure. Amanda may be able to hide from them, but you can't. Which reminds me, we're all going to be gathered together at the wedding. Since our little run in with Sephiroth, we've all become rather prominent figures. Whether we like it or not the wedding is going to generate a lot of publicity, and everyone is going to know Barret will be there. It might be a perfect time for whoever is after him to try something. I think we should start thinking about giving some serious thought to security."

"What do you mean?" Cloud said. "We've always been able to look out for ourselves."

"Hell, I know that," Cid replied. "But it's your wedding, for chrissake. Do you really want to have to worry about that sort of thing? I think it might be better if we left that job to someone else, at least for that one day."

"You mean like, hire someone to provide security?" Tifa asked. Cloud was right, they had always taken care of themselves. Had always trusted their own abilities to get them out of any jam. To depend on someone else was something she had never even considered.

"Yeah, I guess," Cid replied. "I mean, c'mon. Do you really want to have to worry about that on your wedding day?"

The others were silent for a moment. Cloud had to admit that Cid had a good point.

"The Turks can provide security," Elena suggested.

"No way!" Yuffie protested immediately.

They looked at her, surprised by the vehemence of her response.

"What's with you?" Cloud questioned.

"Nothing," Yuffie replied. "But all the Turks are going to be quests at the wedding too, even Reno, though god only knows why. And Elena, you're going to be in the wedding party. You're not going to want to be concerned about security either."

"That's true," Cid conceded. "But we don't know much about this sort of thing. Maybe you can recommend someone."

Cloud just nodded, still looking oddly at Yuffie, who was trying hard to ignore him.

"There it is," Cloud said, pointing ahead to a resturant on the left. It was a small cafe, rather quant, actually, wedged in between a clothing store and a furniture outlet. It had tables outside, lining the street, and since the day was pleasent, this was where they chose to sit.

Cid made good on his statement that he was hungry, ordering a large steak and setting about devouring it as soon as it arrived with surprising single mindedness, even though it was only late afternoon. Cloud ordered the same thing, though he did not consume it with quite the same gusto. Of the men only Barret, who usually was the one who ate the most, seemed subdued in his eating habits, ordering only a hamburger platter and eating it with decided indifference. He couldn't help but think about Amanda and what might become of her. He was happy she had found her father but was concerned about her as well. In spite of the fact that she had tried to kill him, he had grown fond of her. Ever since he had adopted Marlene he had always had a soft spot for kids, especially girls. And even older ones, really. Which was probably why he had always been protective of Tifa as well. He didn't want to see Amanda leave.

It was foollish of him, he knew, and a bit selfish. After all, it was her father. Her real father. And he obviously cared about her. There was no doubt she would be much better off remaining here.

But that didn't mean he had to like it, now did it?

He had been looking along the street, not really paying attention to what his eyes were seeing. But then he recognized a familar face approaching.

"It's Reno," he said.

The others turned as Reno came stolling up, his nightstick casually laid over one shoulder.

"Well, isn't this a suprise," he said.

"What are you doing here?" Yuffie exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

"I'm here on business," Reno stated. "Not that it's any of your concern."

"Here on business?" Yuffie snapped. "What kind of business?"

"Like I said, that's none of your concern," Reno replied dismissively.

"Well, we don't want you hanging around here!" Yuffie retorted.

Reno gave her an amused look.

"Since when do you dictate where I go?" he questioned. "You said the same thing to me in Corel. If I didn't know you better, I'd start to think you didn't like me or something."

"Reno..." Yuffie began again, but then stopped, seeing the others all looking at her curiously.

"Well...I just don't trust him," she said, rather defensively as she sat back down. "I find it very odd you're always showing up when we're around."

Reno shrugged.

"Must be fate," he quiped.

"I don't think so," Yuffie grumbled.

"Yuffie," Cloud cut in. "Just exactly what do you think Reno is up to?"

Yuffie did not reply for a moment, staring sullenly at her plate.

"I don't know," she said finally. "But you know the Turks. They're always up to no good. Especially Reno. Are you telling me that you suddenly trust him now?"

"No we don't," Aeris replied. "But Reno hasn't done anything to hurt us in a long time. I don't think his mere presense is reason enough to get all upset."

"You obviously don't know him as well as you think," Yuffie muttered.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Cloud said, giving her a probing look. "Is there something going on here that we don't know about? Do you know something we don't?"

They sat there in silence for a moment, waiting for Yuffie to answer, something she seemed most disinclined to do. Finally she shrugged and looked up at them.

"No," she said grudingly. "I just don't trust him, that's all."

They were silent for a moment longer,and Yuffie didn't look like she was going to say anything else.

"In any case, I was just passing by," Reno finally broke the silence. "It was merest coincidence, I assure you. And since it's obvious that my presense is not welcome, I'll just be on my way."

"Reno, you don't have to go," Aeris said kindly. But Reno held up his hand.

"No, I know when I'm not wanted. You all just continue to enjoy yourselves. I have my business to attend to anyway. Good day to you."

Without another work he walked off jauntily down the street.

Aeris looked at Yuffie and frowned.

"Was that really necessary?" she questioned. "I know Reno was our enemy for a long time, but I'd like to think we've all put those days behind us."

Yuffie muttered something the others couldn't hear, but it certainly didn't sound like an agreement.

"All right, why don't we just drop it," Tifa suggested. "We were having such a good day, I don't want to spoil it. C'mon, it looks like we're all done. Let's head back to Dr. Nathans."

"I've got to go the bathroom," Yuffie said. Without another word she got up and walked into the resturant.

"What's up with her?" Elena questioned.

"I don't know," Cloud said slowly, a thoughtful look on his face. He suddenly turned to the others.

"I've got to go too," he said. "You guys start back. We'll catch up."

Tifa looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression.

"Are you sure?" she questioned.

"Yeah," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "Go on, I'll only be a minute."

Tifa hesitated a moment more, then shrugged.

"Okay, we'll see you back at the office."

Cloud nodded and the others left. He walked into the resturant and leaned against the wall by the ladies room. Yuffie didn't see him at first when she came out the door.

"What are you up to?" he questioned.

Yuffie jumped and spung around toward him, her hand coming up to her chest when she saw who it was.

"Don't scare me like that!" she exclaimed. "Unless you want me to puke all over your pants."

"I'll keep that in mind next time," Cloud replied. "Now what's going on?"

Yuffie stared at him for just moment. Seeing the determined look on his face she immediately turned away.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said.

"C'mon, Yuffie, no matter what you may think, you're not that good at lying, especially to your friends" he said, stepping toward her. "You've been acting very strangely for a long time now."

She turned toward him and frowned.

"What are you talking about?" she said. "I'm not acting strangely."

"Oh cut it out," he pressed. "Even Aeris can see it. Why are you so jumpy around Reno? You've nearly flipped out everytime we've come into contact with him. And you've hanging around with Barret like you're best buddies. Even he thinks it's strange. And you haven't even gone back to visit your father in Wutai since we've returned. I know your relationship with him is strained, but you never stayed away this long. What's going on?"

"There's nothing going on," Yuffie insisted, though her eyes said otherwise.

"C'mon, Yuffie, level with me!" Cloud said, determined not to be put off. "We're your friends. You may have been a theif and a royal pain in the ass when we first met you, but you've changed. You've grown up, Yuffie. You've done a lot of unselfish things for us, things I don't think you would have done just a year or two ago. We depended on you to get help when Cosmo Canyon was taken over by Jenova, and you came through. You're one of us now, and we trust you. I don't think this is one of your stupid schemes. You know something, and you won't tell us for some reason. Don't you trust us?"

Yuffie hesitated, a solomn look on her face. For a long time she just stood there looking at him.

Finally she sighed.

"If Reno finds out I told anyone he's going to kill me."

"Don't worry about Reno," Cloud said.

"No, he REALLY will kill me. He told me he would, and he wasn't kidding!"

Cloud looked at her seriously.

"I think you better tell me the whole story."

Yuffie paused for just a moment before finally giving in completely.

"I was at the Turks headquarters the other day, before we went into outer space. I overheard a man offer Reno a million gil to kill Barret."

"What?" Cloud said in surprise.

"He offered Reno a million gil to kill Barret," Yuffie repeated.

"Who was the man?" Cloud asked.

"I don't remember his name," Yuffie replied.

"Why?" Cloud questioned. "Why did he want to kill Barret?"

"He never said," Yuffie replied. "That wasn't something Reno needed to know. Reno turned him down and the man left, but he didn't look too happy."

"Reno turned him down?" Cloud said, looking even more surprised.

"Uh huh," Yuffie said. "But...he knew I was listening. He might of just said that for my benefit. He might have waited until I left, and then contacted the guy and made a deal. I mean you know Reno, can you picture him turning down that amount of money just because he knows Barret? I'd have thought he'd off his mother for that much gil."

Cloud stood there silently in thought for some time. This was quite a story, but it did go a long way toward explaining Yuffies recent odd behavoir, that was, if she was telling him the truth.

"Yuffie, if you're lying to me..."

"I'm not lying," she said adamantly. "I know I've made up some tall one's before, but this is the truth. After the man left I told Reno we had to warn Barret, but he refused, said it was business, and that the Turks reputation depended on confidentiality. When I told him I'd go tell Barret myeself he told me he'd kill me if I did."

Cloud nodded slowly, looking at Yuffie, trying to read her features. She looked sincere, but that was nothing new. But somehow he had a feeling she was telling the truth, for once in her life.

"So, what, you've been following Barret around all this time, to try to protect him?" he questioned.

Yuffie nodded.

"I figured if I couldn't tell anyone, at least I could be there in case something happened."

Cloud was silent for a moment. Could this really be true? Could Yuffie, the little brat who only thought of herself, really have been concerned enough about someone else to do something so unselfish?

She was looking right at him now, her eyes imploring him to believe her. He could detect no hint of deceit in her face.

She had made up lies before, it was true, but they had never been like this. She was a prankster, but everything she had done had been relatively harmless. She had never deliberatly tried to hurt anyone. But this, if she was lying about this, it could cause some serious trouble. It didn't sound like the kind of thing Yuffie would make up. He was reasonably convinced she was telling the truth. And if that were true, then she really had grown up.

He smiled and reached out, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I'm proud of you," he said.

Yuffie's face twisted into a look of surprise.

"Huh?"

"You were trying to protect Barret. You were thinking of someone besides yourself. You were ready to put yourself in danger for a friend. That's quite a leap for you, Yuffie. I didn't think you had it in you."

"Yeah...well I..." Yuffie stuttered, then stopped and thought about it for a moment, her face brightening. "You know, you're right. I did do that. I ought to be proud of it. I done good, didn't I?"

"You done good," Cloud agreed. "I just wish you would have told us a little sooner. Don't you know you can trust us?"

Yuffie said nothing, but nodded.

"I'm glad I did now," she said. "You don't know how good it feels to get that off my chest. But what are we going to do about it?"

"Don't worry," Cloud said. "We can handle Reno. It's this other man I'm concerned about. I don't think he's going to give up. We've been trying to track down leads from what Amanda has told us, but so far we haven't found anything. Everyplace she's taken us to had been abandoned. Barret thinks they might have given up when they found out Amanda had been unsuccessful, but I don't think that's the case."

"So what do we do?" Yuffie asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Cloud replied. "But now I think we better get back to the others before they start to wonder what happened to us."

Yuffie nodded. Cloud started to turn away.

"Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for believing me."

Cloud smiled.

"Actually, I can hardly believe it myself," he replied. "Now let's go."

The others were standing outside Dr. Nathan's office when Cloud and Yuffie caught up with them, Amanda with them.

Tifa came up beside Cloud.

"You took your time," she said. Then more softly. "What's up?"

"Later," he whispered in reply. "So, Amanda," he said more loudly. "Are you going to stay here in Mideel?"

Amanda nodded.

"Yes," she said, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "I'd like to thank you all for everything you've done for me."

"It was nothing," Aeris said. "We're just glad everything worked out for you."

They were silent for a moment.

"All right then, I guess this is goodbye," Cid said.

"Seems like we've been saying that a lot lately," Aeris commented.

"For now," Tifa added. "You will be coming to the wedding, won't you?"

"Of course," Amanda said. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Good luck," Cloud contributed.

"You too," Amanda replied.

"We'll see you soon," Aeris said.

Vincent and Elena bade her goodbye as well.

Amanda looked at Yuffie.

"Thank you for everything," she said. "We're still friends, right?"

Yuffie smiled.

"Of course," she said. "It was kinda nice to have someone to hang around with. You'll have to come visit me in Wutai real soon."

"Then Godo will have two people to drive him crazy," Cid stated.

They all grinned, but then Amanda's face became serious as she turned to Barret.

"I know I decieved you..." she started, but Barret cut her off with a shake of his head. He didn't say anything, just looked at her for a moment, then pulled her toward him and crushed her with one of his patented hugs.

"I'll miss ya kid," he said, his eyes moist.

"I'll miss you too," she said softly, when she had caught her breath. "Thank you so much, Barret. I can't possibly repay all you've done for me."

Barret released her and looked embarrassed.

"Aww, I didn't do nothin'"

There was another momentary pause.

"All right, let's get going," Cloud broke the silence. He looked at Amanda. "We'll see you."

She nodded, then they parted company. The group returned to the Slipstream and flew back to Kalm, most of them silent along the way. When they arrived Tifa invited them to stay for dinner, but they all declined. Cid had to get back to Rocket Town to take care of some business, and Barret had to get back to Corel, saying if he didn't do some mayoring soon, they were gonna throw him out of office. Yuffie wanted to get back to Wutai, since she hadn't seen her father since her return from space. Cid offered Vincent a ride too, but he declined, saying he and Elena would get back on their own. A few minutes later the Slipstream was in the air once again.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?" Tifa directed her question at Vincent and Elena.

"Yes," Vincent said. "Perhaps some other time."

"Okay, I guess we'll see you in two weeks then," she said, sounding a tad disappointed.

Vincent nodded.

"We'll be there," Elena said.

Cloud and Tifa headed back toward Elmyra's house, while Vincent turned and led Elena away from Kalm.

"It seems like so much has changed since we went up into space," Elena said as they walked. "I don't think I'll ever look at our planet quite the same again. I think the trip has given me a greater appreciation for everything this world has to offer."

Vincent nodded.

"It was quite an experience," he agreed.

"I haven't heard from Vernon since we returned," she continued, eyeing him for his reaction. "I wonder what happened to him?"

Vincent shrugged.

"I'm sure he'll turn up again someday, when we least want him to," he said.

Elena nodded. Her opinion of Vernon had changed considerably based on what Vincent had told her. It really didn't matter much to her now whether she saw him again or not, but she did have to admit to a bit of disappointment at not being able to tell him that she knew the truth, that Vincent had trusted her.

She looked at Vincent thoughtfully.

"You're going to transform, aren't you?"

Theu were walking south. The town was behind them now, the road leading them on a twisting journey through grass covered meadows and hills splashed with oak and ash trees. Vincent paused and looked around. There was no one else in sight.

"The urge has been strong," he stated.

Elena nodded.

"You go ahead. I'll wait here for you."

Vincent paused for a moment, then nodded. He took hold of her hand, then leaned forward and kissed her.

"I'll be back shortly," he said.

Elena nodded but did not speak. Vincent walked off the road, almost immediatly disappearing into a tall stand of trees. He stopped and inhaled deeply of the wooded scent permeating the air around him.

When he had found the Chadara on Grouchoon, had found out what they were, and what he was, he had entertained hopes deep in the back of his mind that somehow they would be able to cure him. That had not happened. He had spoken to Roshnialu, using Lai Li as an interpreter, and she had told him she knew of no way to reverse the process Hojo had inflicted upon him. But she had offered some advice. He had heeded it since and had found that the unexpected and almost uncontrollable urges to tranform he had been experiencing with greater and greater frequency before the trip had greatly dimished. The advice had been simple. Accept it.

Ever since Hojo had done what he had done to him, Vincent had looked upon it as a form of punishment. It was something horrible, something alien, something that should never have been part of him. Always he had fought against it, against the transformation, against any thought that this horror inside him was anything other than a dreadful disease. He had been ashamed, had tried to hide the fact that he was a monster. Every time he had felt the need to transform, he had fought against it with all his will. But it was something that could not be supressed, and the more he fought against it, the stronger the urge became.

But now, things were somehow different. Now he realized that the transormation wasn't a curse, but just a natural process for him. It had been hard at first, and he had to fight to no longer think of it in those terms. This creature he turned into was nothing to be ashamed of, was nothing he had to hide. It was as much a part of him as he was when he was not transformed. So now whenever the urge to transform came, he welcomed it instead of fought against it.

Even now he could feel it coming on. Slowly he relaxed his body, letting the change take place at it's own rate.

It was funny how it had worked out. It hadn't taken any magic, or even any science. It was strange, because nothing had really changed except his attitude. Yet it was as if a whole new world had opened up to him. And for the first time in a long long time, he felt truely happy.

He felt his emotions swirling up like a cyclone inside him, but even as it happened, he smiled. And then he gave up thinking altogether, if just for a while.


	35. Dreams Fulfilled, Dreams Shattered

CHAPTER XXXV

DREAMS FULFILLED, DREAMS SHATTERED

"It's almost time," Aeris said.

"I know," Tifa replied, turning toward her. "How do I look?"

"You're already asked me that fifty times," Aeris replied. They were alone in a small room off to the side of the entrance to Aeris church. If they listened carefully, they could here the hubub of the crowd outside as the church filled up in preperation for the event that was about to occur. "You look beautiful."

Tifa gave her a nervous smile.

"Thanks."

"Are you scared?" Aeris asked.

Tifa nodded.

"Terrified."

"Of what?'

Tifa groped for words to express what she was feeling.

"I don't know," she said. "Tripping and falling. Getting an incapacitating headache. Having Cloud lose his mind in the middle of our vows. Having Sephiroth suddenly leap up out of the audience. A tidal wave."

"A tidal wave?" Aeris intterupted. "You realize, of course, that we're nowhere near the ocean."

Tifa just looked at her.

"Well, you never know!"

Aeris put her arm aboud Tifa's shoulders.

"You're not going to get a headache, and if you do, Amanda taught you how to handle it. Cloud's not going to lose his mind. That's all over with. And Sephorith is dead, and he's not going to come back to interrupt your wedding. As for the tidal wave, I don't think I even have to go into that."

Tifa nodded sheepishly.

"What about tripping and falling? You didn't mention that," she pointed out.

"That's the one fear that might actaully have merit," Aeris replied. "But if you do, just get up and smile. You're the bride, you can do whatever you damn well want. I have a feeling no one would dare to laugh at you."

"Thanks for the reassurance," Tifa said.

"Think nothing of it," Aeris replied. "That's what a Maid of Honor is for, to help you through this. There's really nothing to be worried about. I mean, you love him, right?"

"Of course," Tifa replied immediately.

"And he loves you?"

Tifa nodded.

"Yes, he does."

"So. isn't that all that's really important? The rest is all just window dressing. None of it really matters that much, now does it? So don't worry about anything going wrong. Even if something did, it's not going to change the way you feel about each other."

"I know but..." Tifa said doubtfully.

"C'mon, it's you're wedding day," Aeris chided her. "For just this one day, forget about all your troubles. Forget about everything else and go out there and enjoy yourself. Leave the worrying to someone else."

"Like you?" Tifa asked.

"If it will make you feel better, I'll stand here frozen in fear for you the rest of the night," Aeris volunteered.

Tifa grinned.

"Okay, I get the picture. And you can't do that. We need you in the wedding party. It wouldn't be the same without you, Aeris."

Suddenly the door swung open and Yuffie appeared, looking very uncomfortbale in her winter green dress.

"C'mon out, it's starting!" she said excitedly.

Aeris turned toward Tifa.

"Are you ready?" she asked, not able to hide the excitment in her voice.

Tifa lookd down at her long white gown one more time, like she had a thousand times already, but nothing was out of place. She could never remember being more nervous than this in her entire life, not even when they had fought Sephiroth. But she had always been better at facing enemies then she was at facing her feelings.

She took a deep breath, then nodded.

She followed Aeris and Yuffie out into the vestible. She could glimpse the inside of the church from here, though she could not see the alter from where she was standing. The place looked packed, and she could see some of the people looking back into the entrance to try to catch a glimpse of her.

The vestible itself was crowded with the girls from the wedding party, photographers, security, with the rather largre form of Barret, looking completely out of place in a black suit, standing it he middle of them, with Marlene, dressed in similar fashion to the other ladies as the flower girl, almost lost beside him.

Tifa looked around, smiling at everyone. It all seemed so surreal, almost like a dream. She felt a strange sort of detachment. After all this time, after all these years, after fighting so hard by Cloud's side, her dream was finally going to come true. Her dream that so many times had seemed like it would never be acheived. It all seemed too good to be true.

The music started, and the rumble of talking died down. On cue Marlene stepped forward, starting down the aisle. One by one, as the time came, the others followed, Elena looking very dignified and serious, Nipala padding down the aisle, head held high. Shera, with a grin all the way, Yuffie, trying her best not to stumble, and Aeris, giving Tifa a quick wink before proceding and looking perfectly at ease as she made her way to the alter.

The music paused for a moment, then the wedding march began to play. Tifa felt a thrill of excitement run through her. She stepped foward into the entranceway, for the first time being able to see and be seen by the entire congregation. Barret came up besider her. She looked at him and smiled as he offered his arm. She could tell he was as nervous as she. His face was dead serious, and his eyes were locked straight ahead.

"Just don't trip on my gown," she couldn't help but say. If anything his face went paler still.

Then they were walking forward. Tifa could see all eyes upon her as she made her way steadily toward the alter, but she no longer felt nervous. The dreamlike quality, the feeling of detachment was stronger than ever. Almost it seemed like she was watching herself as she walked down the aisle. No longer a participant, but just another observer.

She looked forward to the alter. All her friends were there now, gathered together, looking at her as she made her way toward them. Cloud stood at the foot of the alter, just to the right of the aisle. In his black tux she thought he had never looked so handsome. Her eyes locked on him, and she could see he was looking at her too. Aeris was right, nothing else mattered. This was their day, their time. She didn't want to take her eyes off him, didn't want to see anything else. No one else could share what they felt between them. In a room filled with people, they were alone together.

She didn't even notice when she reached the front, or when Barret stepped away to take a seat beside Elmyra. She just kept her eyes focused on Cloud as he replaced Barret beside her. And she could see he was looking at her too. How could she explain the look she saw there? It was almost as if he knew what she was thinking. As if he understood that this was their moment, that they were sharing something, something no one else could see or understand.

After all the anticipation, it seemed as if everything was going so quickly. Before she knew it they were reciting their vows. She sighed inwardly with relief when she spoke without making a mistake, though she could hear the tremor in her voice, but the whole time, she was looking straight at Cloud, and the words came from her heart.

And he did the same. Standing so straight, saying them with such confidence, his eyes never leaving hers. She couldn't help but marvel at how far he had come from that confused young man she had found lying at the side of the road at the Midgar train station, so long ago it almost seemed like another lifetime. He had been so unsure of himself then, of what he wanted out of life, of even who he was. They had all changed, but the change in Cloud had been the most profound. He had grown up so much, and she couldn't be more proud of him.

And then she found herself speaking again, saying something she had been preparing for all her life, it seemed, the words clear, though her heart quiverd at the sound of them.

"I do."

Two little words, but words filled with so much meaning. She had worried that she would hesitate, would not have the courage to speak them, but they came out easily, eagerly. She had changed too, she realized. She had grown up as well. She didn't want to hide her feelings anymore. Not ever again.

She was still looking at Cloud. There were other faces all around her, but it was as if they didn't exist. There were other voices, but she barely heard them. Then it was Cloud's turn to speak, and his voice was crystal clear as he repeated her words.

"I do."

A moment later Cloud took hold of her hand and slipped the wedding ring on her finger. She knew Cid had been holding the ring, but she never saw how it got into Cloud's hand. For the life of her, she never saw him take his eyes off her.

Afterwards Tifa could barely remember what anyone else had said during the ceremony. But the next words she would remember for the rest of her life.

"Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

The both smiled, even though she felt the swirl of emotions welling up inside her. As his lips pressed against hers, she almost started to cry, but with great difficulty managed to get a hold of herself. No matter what it took, she was going to keep a little bit of her dignity. She was sure no one would blame her if she did cry, but she prided herself on staying in control. She would have embarrassed to cry now, in front of all these people, no matter what the reason.

Then it was over. She turned and walked back down the aisle, accompainied for the first time in her life by her husband. Her nervousness suddenly gone, she looked around and saw all the smiling faces of the well wishers as if for the first time. She smiled in return, waving with one hand, her other firmly held by Cloud. They stepped out of the church, half of her feeling relief and the other half sorry it was over. As the others filed out the mood immediatly lightened as they began to look forward to the reception.

"All right, time to party!" Cid exclaimed.

The catering hall, the Imperial Suites, was located just across the street from Aeris church. It took them only a few minutes to make their way inside. The entire third floor had been rented. It even had a seperate suite for the wedding party. The band started to play as soon as the room began to fill up, and Tifa felt herself finally begin to feel at ease. They had done it! It was over, and had gone without a hitch. She looked over at Aeris, who returned her gaze and smiled.

"I didn't trip!" she called out.

Aeris nodded.

"And there was no tidal wave either," she replied.

Cloud gave them both a strange look.

"Gawd, I can't wait to get out of this dress," Yuffie complained. "Do I have to wear it for the entire reception?"

"Yes," Aeris replied.

"How long is this gonna last again?" Yuffie questioned.

"For as long as we want!" Elena said.

"Probably about four hours," Aeris answered more realistically.

"Four hours!" Yuffie said with a groan. "I'll never last that long in this. Can't I just change real quick. Who's gonna care?"

"I will," Aeris replied, her voice surprisingly stern. "You can't change, so quit your complaining. And don't try to slip away and do it anyway, cause if I find you have I'll have the guys strip you naked!"

Yuffie looked at her with a shocked expression on her face.

"I don't see why you would want to anyway," Aeris continued. "You look beautiful in that."

Yuffie looked even more surprised. For a moment she just stood there, then she looked down at herself and then back at Aeris.

"You really think so?" she said.

"Of course," Aeris replied. "Just ask anyone."

Yuffie gave a bemused smile and then walked away. Reeve came up beside Aeris.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked. "I never heard you talk like that before, though I agree completely. Personally, I hope she doesn't try anything. The thought of seeing her running around naked makes me shiver."

"Oh stop," Aeris said. "You'd probably enjoy it."

Reeve gave her a pained look.

"And I'm just trying to to make sure everything runs smoothly for my best friends wedding," Aeris continued. "If that means I have to get tough with people, then so be it."

Reeve smiled.

"Okay then," he said. "I'll have to be at my best behavior then. I wouldn't want to have any of that wrath aimed in my direction."

Aeris gave him a probing look.

"Are you making fun of me?" she questioned.

Reeve raised his hands in a protestation of innocence.

"Not me," he said. "Wouldn't think of it."

Aeris did not look convinced.

By this time the hall had filled up. The party was in full swing now, the dance floor crowded with quests. Even though Tifa's nervousness was gone, the dreamlike quality of the night remained. Things seemed to continue to move at a blur. The cutting of the cake, the first dance as hunband and wife, the most excellent meal. Each event seemed to fly by in front of her eyes, as if she were watching it on film. She had to keep telling herself over and over that this was all real, that it wasn't a dream, though it seemd she was having a hard time believing it.

Though it seemed like a dream, each moment was indelibly stamped on her memory, and she found that years later she could still recall some of the smallest details. Even so, some highlights stood out especially. When she tossed the bouquet, she threw it so high it bounced off the chandiller, changing direction so suddenly it caught all the girls off guard, and inexplicably landed right in Yuffie's hands. She dropped it immediately, as if it were too hot to handle, looking around as if she hoped no one noticed. Elena swooped in and grabbed it then, but it was too late. Even better was when Cloud threw the garter. It seemed to be making a beeline for Reeve, but at the last second it was intercepted, and the others looked around, Yuffie with a gasp of horror, to see it dangling from the end of Reno's nighstick.

A chair had been brought forward, and Yuffie, with much whining and pleading for it to be anybody but him, was forced to sit. With an enourmous smirk, Reno had slid the garter up onto her leg. Higher and higher it had gone, despite her protests. Even when she smacked him across the face he doggidly kept going, and it was quite plain that even then he had had a bit much to drink and was a little numb. Yuffie's next blow, however, could not be ignored, and even Tifa groaned as Reno found himself sprawled suddenly on the floor, looking around with no apparent idea what had happened. The imprint of Yuffie's hand on his cheek could still be made out nearly an hour later.

After they had eaten Cloud and Tifa made the rounds, visiting every table. The party had been going on for over two hours now, and the guests had had plenty of time to have some drinks and loosen up, something a few of them were very good at. Reno and Cid had already taken control of the band and were belting out their own versions of some popular songs, in some cases taking quite a few liberties with the lyrics. Yuffie seemed to have gotten into the swing of things too, and was dancing with just about anyone who was willing, in spite of her dress. Much to her surprise, Tifa had even seen her dancing with Cait.

Amanda was there as well, as she had promised. She was wearing a grey gown, that perfectly set off her sliver hair. Rude and Lai Li sat together at one of the tables, holding hands and watching the dancers and especially Reno with bemused expressions. Tifa saw Altim briefly in the crowd, mingling with the guests. Even though he had promised not too, she wondered how many of them would find themselves berift of wallet by the time they arrived home.

But that wasn't somthing she was going to worry about. Not tonight. She was just going to enjoy herself, just as Aeris had said. It was their night, Cloud and hers, and it was going to be perfect.

They passed Vincent and Elena. Tifa could hear Elena bugging Vincent to dance, but he did not seem anxious to budge. Tifa shook her head slowly. She didn't envy Elena. Somehow she suspected wild horses would not be able to drag Vincent onto the dance floor.

A moment after they had passed, one of the security guards walked up to Elena.

"There's a man at the entrance who says he needs to talk to you in private," the man said. "Says his name is Vernon."

Elena looked at the guard in surprise, then turned to Vincent, who started to get up, his eyes suddenly darkening.

"No," she said, putting her hand out to stop him. "I'll go talk to him. I think it might be better if you wait here, Vincent. We don't need a brawl breaking out at Cloud and Tifa's weddding."

Vincent hesitated for a moment, obviously not thrilled with her suggestion. But eventually he nodded and sat back down.

"Just be quick," was all he said.

Elena nodded and got up. She took the elevator down to the first floor. Vernon was waiting for her at the entrance, under the watchful eye of a security guard.

"I need to talk to you," he said, before she could even speak.

"I don't think you have anything to say to me," Elena stated. "Vincent has told me eveyrthing."

Vernon looked surprised but quickly recovered.

"He told you his version," he stated.

"He told me the truth!" Elena snapped.

Veron glanced over at the guard.

"Would it be possible for us to talk in private?" he asked her.

Elena looked at the guard as well. She didn't think Vernon had anything to say that he couldn't say here. Nevertheless, she gave a nod of her head.

"C'mon."

She led him off to the side, toward a room that wasn't being used at the moment.

"We can talk here," she said as she walked in. "But you better make it quick. I want to get back to the party. I can't see why this couldn't wait..."

She was cut off as sparks flew in front of her eyes. Vernon had been behind her as she walked into the room, and the blow caught her totally unprepared. She staggered forward, and would have fallen to the ground had not Vernon caught hold of her and eased her down himself. He quickly walked over to the door and glanced out, but the guard was no longer paying any attention to them. He shut the door. He stooped down to check to make sure Elena was out, then opened a utility bag he had slung over his shoulder. He quickly pulled out the suit inside and slipped it on. Taking out a silenced gun he slipped that inside his suit jacket. He knew he didn't have much time. A moment later he was at the door again, opening it. He paused unitl the guard was looking the other way. Then he quickly slipped out and got on the elevator, heading up to the third floor.

* * *

"Yuffie!"

Yuffie looked up as she walked off the dance for to see Amanda standing nearby.

"You look like you're having fun," Amanda commented.

Yuffie flopped down in a seat.

"Well, I figured as long as I have to be here in this annoying dress, I might as well enjoy myself," she said.

Amanda nodded. Yuffie looked at her.

"So how bout you. Are you having a good time?"

Amanda nodded again.

"Uh huh."

"I haven't seen you out on the dance floor," Yuffie observed.

Amanda looked down at the floor.

"I never learned how to dance," he admitted. "I was always cooped up in the lab. I never did anything like this. Between my training and my education, I never had any time to have fun."

Yuffie looked at her sympathetically.

"Well, we'll have to do something about that then," she said. "As soon as I catch my breath, that is."

Amanda looked less than excited about the idea.

"I couldn't go out there," she said, looking at the dance floor. "I'd make a complete fool of myself."

Yuffie dismissed her argument with a shake of her head.

"Don't you know that that's what parties are for?"

She stood up.

"Let's take a little walk. The wedding party has a suite all to ourselves. Would you like to come and see it?"

Amanda brightened immediately.

"Sure," she said.

Yuffie led her out of the room and into a nearby hallway. Not far across the room Vernon, who had been standing watching them from by the entrance, moved quickly through the crowd. No one noticed as he slipped out not far behind them.

Yuffie made a quick turn and entered the suite, funished quite similar to a luxurious lounge. Yuffie sat down on the couch and pulled off her shoes. She stretched out her legs.

"Ahh, that feels good," she said. "I needed to get away from there for a little while. I just wish I could ditch this dress."

Amamda was looking admiringly around the room.

"This whole place is so beautiful," she observed. "The wedding, everything, was just so great. I didn't know things like this went on. I'm in awe."

Yuffie nodded.

"There's even a bar in here," she pointed out. "Go ahead and pour yourself a drink."

"I'm too young to drink," Amanda protested.

"Oh stop," Yuffie replied. She got up and walked over to the bar.

"This is a special occasion. I don't think anyone will object if you have one drink."

Amanda looked doubtful, but she didn't say anything.

"You've missed out on a lot," Yuffie said.

She stepped behind the bar and rumaged around, pulling out a few bottles. She set two glasses on the counter and made them both a drink.

"There are a lot of things you're never experienced. You've got a lot of catching up to do, and I can't think of a better time. After the wedding, you have to come to Wutai to visit me. We can have a hell of a time together."

Amanda smiled.

"I'd like that," she said.

Yuffie finished making the drinks and slid one toward Amanda, looking up. The only hint that anything was wrong was the sudden furrowing of her brow. She wasn't looking at Amanda, she was looking past her, toward the entrance to the suite. Amanda noticed her mouth begin to open, but before she could speak there was another sound. A muffled sound, like a hand slapping against a pillow. Yuffie was propelled backwards, blood spurting through the air, landing on the wall behind her and the counter where their drinks stood.

Amanda swung around, horrified. He brain barely registering what was happening. A mand stood in the entrance, a gun in his hand. A gun now leveled at her.

For a split second they stood there facing each other. A single word managed to escape her lips

"Ice."

Then the gun fired again. She put up her hands in a useless attempt to defend herself. She was flung backward, slamming against the side of the bar, and then falling to the ground, pulling a barstool along with her. Suddenly she couldn't breath. Agonizing pain shot through her body, from her back, where she had hit it on the counter, from her knee, that had smacked against the barstool, from her head, that had rapped the floor heavily when she had landed, and from her chest. She thought she groaned, but she could not be sure. Her ears didn't seem to be working anymore, nor half her other senses. She looked down at her dress, watching in disbelief as the blood soaked into it. It couldn't be real, she couldn't get herself to believe what she was seeing. But at the same she felt a cold knot growing in her stomach. There was blood everywhere, it covered her dress. The pain was terrible. She couldn't breath, she couldn't get up. She had been shot! Ice had shot her!

She turned toward him, but he was already walking away, and all she saw was his back as he disappeaered out the door. She tried to cry out, to call for help, but though her mouth moved, no words came out. She had to get help, she had to do something!

Her head swam. She didn't want to die like this. She didn't want it all to end here, after all she had been through. She looked down at herself again, still unable to believe this had happened to her. There was blood everywhere. How much could one lose, before it was too late?

She felt her hand rap against the barstool, and realized that she could move it. She clutched it against her chest, trying fruitlessly to stop the flow of blood. She felt light headed, and knew that she could pass out at any moment.

She turned her head. Her hands shook uncontrollably. She felt her heart pounding in her chest. She tried to tell herself to relax, that she would just lose more blood this way, but she couldn't. All she could think about was that she didn't want to die.

And then she remembered Yuffie. She turned her head, but she could not see her friend. The bar was in the way. Ice had obviously come here to make Amanda pay for not doing her job, for betraying them. Yuffie was just an innocent bystander. She had had nothing to do with any of this. Yet now she was shot too, could die also.

Amanda groaned and lifted herself up, her head spinning.

It wasn't fair! Yuffie couldn't die because of her mistakes. She couldn't let it happen. She had to do something. She would do anything...

She staggered up, crawling on her hands and knees, one slow step at a time. The room seemed filled with haze, and the slightest movement seemed an impossible chore. The pain was gone now, her whole body numb. Probably from loss of blood, she thought abstractly. In spite of that she fought her way onward, forcing one hand in front of the other, ignoring her exhaustion, and the trail of blood she left behind her.

Yuffie was lying against the wall. She was not moving, and a pool of blood had formed beneath her as well. Amanda struggled over to her, tears streaming from her eyes. Her hand reached out, but all she could manage was a feeble shake. Yuffie did not respond.

Amanda collasped to the floor, feeling the last of her strength rapidly ebbing. She looked up at the bar. There was a phone on the counter, not ten feet away, but to her it might as well have been a million miles. It was too late. There was nothing she could do. There was nothing anyone could do.

She heard her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her chest heaved, and even with her desperate breathing she couldn't seem to get enough air. She sank down, her head hitting hard once again, but she felt no more pain, only a sudden jarring. Yuffie was right beside her now. Slowly her hand reached out until it rested on her friend. Amanda was begining to believe that it really was over now, that she wasn't going to survive. She had harboured hopes that someone would come in, that someone would find them, but it didn't seem likely. She didn't want to die like this, but even more she didn't want to see Yuffie die. There was just one chance now, there was only one thing she could do that might help, that might make up for what she had done.

She cleared her mind, trying to concentrate. It was difficult. She wanted more than anything to just lay her head down and rest, to close her eyes and slip off into oblivion, but she couldn't do that yet. She didn't care anymoe. She didn't care what happened to herself, but she wasn't going to let her friend die, not matter what it took.

She wasn't sure how long she lay there, her ragged breathing her only movement. It seemed like a liftetime of agony, but she wouldn't quit. And finally she felt the power welling up within her. For a second it coursed through her, the energy that she had felt so many times before, and then it passed out of her. For a moment she felt triumphant as the power flowed into Yuffie, and then it was gone, and with it the last of her strength.

Her head fell back, the green glow in her eyes fading into nothingness.

* * *

"More champagne?" Cloud asked.

Tifa hesitated a moment, then nodded.

"Okay, but I think that will be enough for me."

Cloud filled both their glasses.

"You haven't had much," he said. "This is a celebration, remember? You're supposed to enjoy yourself."

"There's a difference between having fun and getting drunk," she said.

Tifa glanced toward the front of the room, where Reno and Cid were still singing.

"At least, to some of us. I don't think it would be very proper for the bride to get drunk."

"Not proper, maybe," Cloud replied with a smirk. "But it would certainly be memorable."

"That's not the way I want to be remembered," she replied.

Cloud nodded. He took a sip from his drink and looked at Tifa.

"So...has it turned out as well as you expected?"

Tifa turned toward him and smiled.

"It's wonderful," she said. "The best night of my life. Everything has been perfect. Thank you."

"You're the one who did all the planning," Cloud replied. "And Cid and Aeris have made sure the night has run smoothly. I haven't done a damn thing."

"You agreed to marry me," she said.

Cloud looked at her.

"That wasn't exactly a sacrifice on my part," he replied. "You're the one who's loyal, determined, devoted and strong, not to mention incredibly beautiful. It's not me who's getting the short end of the stick."

Tifa blushed and took hold of his hand.

"You know I wouldn't trade you for anyone on the planet, or any other planet, for that matter," she said simply.

Aeris, Reeve and Shera appeared out of the crowd.

"When are you two going to dance?" Aeris questioned.

"We did," Cloud replied.

"You danced for the first dance. That was required," Aeris stated. "But I haven't seen you on the floor since. The night's half over already. You're missing out."

Cloud lifted his champagne glass.

"I don't think so," he replied.

Tifa picked up the bottle.

"Join us," she said. "Let's have a toast."

The others found their glasses and Tifa filled them. Reeve held his up.

"To Cloud and Tifa," he said.

Tifa shook her head.

"To good friends," she suggested.

The others nodded.

"To good friends," Reeve agreed.

He brought the glass to his lips when Aeris interrupted.

"Where's everyone else? We should have them all here."

Shera looked up toward the front of the room.

"Cid's not difficult to spot," she said wryly. "I'll see if I can get him over here."

She walked away.

"And there's Vincent," Reeve said, spotting him at a table not far away. "I'll get him."

He strode off as well.

"I think I saw Yuffie going out to the suite," Aeris stated. "I'll go get her."

"Where's Barret?" Tifa asked.

Cloud pointed out on the dance floor.

"There he is, dancing with Marlene."

Tifa followed Cloud's gaze. Barret was in the middle of the dance floor, an obviously tired Marlene in his arms, clinging to his shoulder, as he swayed slowly to the music.

"That's so cute," Tifa said, smiling.

"I almost hate to intterupt," Cloud agreed as they walked over to him.

"Barret, c'mon, we're going to have a toast," he said.

Barret nodded and followed them back to the table. Malene stirred in his arms and yawned.

"She's exhausted," Tifa said.

Barret nodded.

"It's a bit past her bedtime," he said. "She's not used to all this excitement."

He looked around for a moment for someplace to put Marlene down.

"There's a couch in the suite," Tifa said. "Why don't we take her in there."

Barret nodded and they started across the room, Cloud last in line. The night had gone quickly, but he had to admit things had gone very smoothly. Though he hadn't shown it, he had been as nervous as Tifa right before the wedding. He had been certain he would end up doing something stupid somewhere along the line. But the wedding had gone without a hitch. For once in his life, he hadn't screwed up.

They had almost reached the door when they heard Aeris' scream.

Barret stopped, and Marlene looked up. Tifa turned to Cloud, a look of shock developing on her face. But before she could say anything Cloud was running past her. Recovering quickly from the initial surprise, Tifa followed in an instant. Even as she did she felt a cold knot forming in the pit of her stomach. The cry had been one of horror, something she had never heard before from Aeris. Obviously something was very wrong.

Even as she ran into the suite behind Cloud she couldn't help but think that the night had been too good to be true.

But even the trepidation she felt didn't prepare her for what she saw when she reached the suite. Cloud stood at the doorway, staring inside. He turned when he saw her behind him, and went to grab hold of her, but she slipped by him. Aeris stood a few steps into the room, her face white as a ghost. The first thing Tifa saw after her was the blood, streaked across the floor and splattered on the walls. And then Amanda and Yuffie lying near the bar.

"Oh my God!" she choked out, her face turning as pale as Aeris and her hand coming up to her mouth.

Cloud grabbed hold of her and took a step back, out of the room as more people rushed by. Suddenly there were people everywhere. Cloud heard cries and shouts, but he couldn't really make out what they were all saying. He wanted to go inside, to see if either of them were still alive. But Tifa clung to him, sobbing into his chest. He didn't want her to see that, and he couldn't leave her now.

Barret stood beside them, still holding Marlene, who was now wide awake, and crying, although Barret had not stepped into the room. Suddenly a security guard was pulling him away.

"C'mon. We've got to get you out of here!" he shouted above the crowd.

Barret resisted.

"I have to see if they're all right," he said.

The man was insistant, still tugging on his arm.

"The assasin is still at large," the man said. "You might be next. You've got a little girl with you. You have to get to safety!"

Barret looked helplessly at Cloud, who nodded. They had all been briefed on the emergency plan. If anything happened, it had been agreed to get Barret out of there as quickly as possible.

"Go ahead," Cloud said.

Barret nodded as the man practically dragged him down the hallway.

"Keep me informed!" Barret yelled out.

He saw Cloud nod before he vanished into the crowd. They reached a doorway leading into a stariwell, and Barret was hustled down it. A dozen people seemed to be around him, most of them security guards, but some guests as well.

"It might be a good idea to have someone else hold your daughter," the security guard suggested as they reached the bottom. "If someone takes a shot at you, you don't want her to get hurt."

Barret nodded, immediately seeing the wisdom in this. He looked around, hoping to hand her to a familar face. He was surprised to see Rude, Reno and Lai Li in the crowd.

"Here," he said, putting Marlene down and offering her hand to a surprised Lai Li. "Take her."

The young inteperter hesitated for a moment, then took hold of Marlene's hand.

"I don't want to leave you daddy!" Marlene protested through her tears.

"It's okay honey," he said reassuringly. "Everything's going to be fine. Nothing is going to happen to me."

The security guard urged him onward. Barret hurried down the hall, glancing behind every once in a while to make sure Lai Li and Marlene were still with him. Eventually they reached a side entrance to the building.

The security guard swung the doors open. Reno was right behind him, slipping out and looking around keenly. Barret noticed he looked surprisingly sober.

The guard motioned for Barret to come ahead, but Reno held up his hand.

"Wait!"

* * *

"Vincent!"

Vincent turned to see Elena rushing toward him. She stumbled into his arms, her hand coming up to the back of her head. Vincent was shocked to see blood on it when she removed it from her head.

"What happened?" he questioned.

Elena quickly related what had happened after she had gone to speak to Vernon.

Vincent's eyes narrowed when she was done.

"We've got to find him," she said. "I don't know what he's up to, but it can't be anything good."

They stood in the hallway right beside the main room. Elena stopped when she noticed all the people gathered in front of the suite.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

"Yuffie and Amanda have been shot," he replied.

Elena's eyes grew wide.

"What?"

"I've got a feeling these two events are connected," Vincent stated.

"You think Vernon shot Yuffie and Amanda?" Elena said in disbelief. "But why?"

Vincent shook his head slowly.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "But it seems like...c'mon."

He stepped into the hallway, looking around. Cloud, Tifa, Reeve and Aeris were standing not far away. Vincent strode over to them.

"My brother Vernon is here. He's the one who did this," he stated bluntly.

The others looked at him in surprise.

"But why would..." Reeve began.

"There's no time to explain!" Vincent cut him off. "We've got to find him before he does anymore harm."

They took one look at Vincent and realized that arguing would be useless, even if they were so inclined.

"What was he wearing?" Reeve asked.

"A grey sweatshirt and black pants," Elena replied. "But that's not going to help. He left them in the room. He must have changed into something else."

As they talked they walked rapidly back ot the main hall. Now the stood in the entranceway. The room was still crowded, although it was thinning out as the security guards slowly led the guests away.

"It would have been a lot simpler if we'd have met him," Cloud said, surveying the room for anyone he didn't recognize, or who looked out of place. He wished he had brought his sword along. He had been sorely tempted.

"I can't believe this," Tifa said. Tears still ran down her cheeks. She looked as if she would collapse at any moment.

"Why don't you go lie down?" Cloud suggested.

She shook her head.

"No," she said, her voice surprisingly firm. "We're going to find out what happened. And I want to be with you when you do."

"There he is!" Vincent exclaimed.

At almost the same time Vernon turned to look at them. Instantly he turned away and dashed for a nearby doorway. He slipped through it even as Vincent barreled across the room after him, the others not far behind.

Beyond the door was a stairwell, and the could hear Vernon's feet clattering up the steps above them. Vincent followed without hesitation, with Cloud right behind him. Reeve turned to look at the girls before he started up. He was tempted to tell them to wait, that it was too dangerous, but he could tell just by the look on their faces that none of them would listen.

"Be careful!" he shouted, then followed Cloud.

The girls ran up right after him. Elena fell behind quickly, the combination of the long gown and the head injury hampering her efforts. Aeris and Tifa were not faring much better, and soon the sound of the others was lost above them. Tifa cursed in frustration, kicking at the bottom of her dress. She had felt sick to her stomach when they had found out what happened, but now she was filled with anger. More than anything she wanted to get her hands on the man who had caused this.

The building had ten floors. They had reached the eigth floor, and Tifa was no longer sure which floor the others had exited on. All she could hear was Elena laboring up not far below them. For all she knew, she could have gone right past them.

"How much longer?" Aeris questioned, panting from the exertion of trying to run up the steps in her gown.

"I don't know," Tifa replied hesitantly. "I'm not sure..."

The sound of a shot up above them interrrupted her.

"Cloud!" Tifa shouted, running up the steps with renewed effort. Aeris took a deep breath and plunged after her.

The next floor the door was open. Tifa ran out into a narrow hallway. She could see Reeve's back disappearing into a door not far down it. She ran down the hall and into the room. Immediately she was pulled up short as Cloud grabbed hold of her and pulled her back.

"Watch out!" he snapped.

Tifa looked around. The room must have been a storage area. It was crewded with extra tables and chairs, as well as other furniture. Even as Cloud spoke there was a soft sound, and something thudded against the wall not far from her.

There was a blast of gunfire as Vincent replied in kind.

Cloud let go of Tifa, both of them standing safely along the wall behind a stack of tables.

"Why did you do it, Vernon?" Vincent called out.

There was no response at first. Vincent glanced behind him to see Elena step into the room, her own gun in her hand. Then there was soft laughter.

"Call me Ice," was Vernon's reply. "That's what I go by these days. Members of the Fog don't like to use their real names."

"The Fog," Cloud repeated softly. Amanda had told them all she had know about the rogue organization on the way back to earth.

"So you're here to kill Barret," Vincent said, not as a question. "And Amanda too, I suppose. Yuffie was just in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"Amanda had to be taught a lesson," Vernon replied. "People have to know that they can't betray the Fog. As for the other girl, what can I say, she just had bad luck."

"Well, it looks like your decision to get revenge has interfered with taking out your primary target," Vincet observed. "I don't think your bosses are going to be too happy to see that you let Barret get away."

"Can't win them all, eh?" Vernon replied, apparently unconcenred. That bothered Cloud, but he didn't say anything.

"So what do we do now, dear brother?" Vernon questioned. "I can't get out, but you can't get at me either. Looks like it's a standoff. Unless, of course, you're planning on doing something heroic. I wouldn't try it if I were you. I'm a very good shot. It seems to run in the family."

"You'd kill your own brother?" Reeve called out.

Vernon burst out into laughter at that.

"Why not?" he replied. "We're not exactly what you would call close. Besides, I've done worse."

"You killed our parents, didn't you Vernon?" Vincent said, his face expressionless, but Elena noticed his hand tightening on his gun.

"Of course," Vernon replied. "It was a simple thing. Too simple. They trusted me so explicitly. And the story I gave to the police. I'm such an actor. They had the money, and I wanted it."

"But you would have inheritied it anyway," Vincent told him.

"Not soon enough," Vernon shot back. "I had expenses. Some that I couldn't explain. I couldn't wait til they were obliging enough to die on their own. I had to speed things up, and it was so easy. How could I pass it up? I wanted something and they were in my way, so I had to get them out of the way, just like you and Victoria."

"What do you mean?" Vincent snapped. Elena looked at him and saw his brow furrow.

Vernon laughed again.

"Are you really that stupid, brother? Don't you see? I wanted the money, but even with our parents gone, I knew I would be third in line. That wasn't good enough. That night Victoria died, you didn't leave that gun loaded, I put a bullet in it myself when you weren't looking. You were both so drunk, you didn't even realize. I knew if she died by your gun everyone would think you had done it. No one would suspect a fourteen year old kid of plotting soemthing like that. It was a perfect opportunity, and I wasn't about to let it slip by. By killing Victoria, I got rid of both of you in one fell swoop!"

Vincent stood there for a moment frozen in place.

"You...murdered...Victoria."

Elena stared at Vincent. He has spoken the words almost to himself. Her own hand came up to her mouth in shocked disbelief. No one else said a word.

"Vincent," she said, almost as softly as he had spoken.

It was as if he hadn't heard her. He stood there in silence for a moment, and though he seemed calm he was seething inside. The full weight of what Vernon had told him was slamming down upon him like a hammer. Vernon had killed Victoria. He had done it deliberately. Vincent had know that Vernon was a snake, but never had he imagined he would do something like that. He couldn't conceive of it. Victoria, who would never have hurt a fly, who would have bent over backwards, would have done anything for her younger brother. How could he have done such a wretched thing? How could he snuff out his own sister's life? And for money! It was inconcievable, it was unforgivable, it was an abomination!

"Unforunatly, even our parents inheritance didn't last forever," Vernon went on as if talking to himself. "Eventually I squandered it all. Which meant I had to get a real job. I knew some people who knew some people who put me in contact with the Fog. It seemed like a good fit. I had always been a good shot, just like you, and my total lack of morals hadn't hurt either. It was really the most natural thing in the world for me. Imagine my surprise when I found out that we were going to target Barret Wallace of Avalanche. And who should be another memeber of Avalanche, why, none other than my long lost brother! Of all the coincidences, that was the stangest. but it was convenient, I have to admit. It let me keep track of you all without raising any suspicions."

"You murdered Victoria!" Vincent cried out, his eyes blazing.

His gun fell to the floor. Seemingly without thought he stepped out of his hiding place, unarmed.

"Vincent!" Elena yelled, but it ws too late to stop him. She could see Vernon now, his gun in his hand, pointed straight at Vincent.

"Yes, I killed her," Vernon said. "Is it really that much of a shock? Does it bother you that much? You were a Turk. We all know how much value thay place on life. I wonder, are you more upset because I killed her, or bacause I did it right under your nose and you never even suspected?"

Vincent did not reply, just stood there staring at Vernon, who was too far away to see the fury blazing in Vincent's eyes.

"I guess it doesn't matter now anyway," Vernon contineued. "It's all over now. I don't suppose it would interest you to know that while I've kept your attention here Barret has fallen into a trap. He should already be dead by now. But the delay is over. It's time I got rid of the last member of my pathetic family."

"You planned it all very well," Vincent said, his voice sounding dead, which sent a chill down Elena's back. "But there's one thing you didn't plan on. There's some thing's even you don't know about me."

Elena had seen Vincent transform bofore. The process was usually quick, never taking more than a few seconds, but never before had it happenned instantaniously. One moment Vicent was standing in front of Vernon, looking striken, then next moment his form was replaced by a raging beast the towered over Vernon.

Vernon stood rooted in place for a second, stunned to suddenly see this hideious beast where his brother had stood a moment before. A second only, and then he brought the gun up, firing wildly. But by then it was too late. With an ungodly roar Vincent sprang forward, covering the distance between them in an eyeblink. A huge claw raked out, and the gun went flying from the torn remains of Vernon's hand and arm. Another claw came down, and Vernon screamed.

The others just stood there, barely recovered from the suddenness of the attack. Vernon's screams rose to a higher pitch, and Elena had to turn away, feeling suddenly nausous. She stepped back to the others, whose faces were just as pale as her own. A moment later the screaming stopped, cut ominously short. Elena waited for the sound of tearing flesh to halt as well, but it didn't. It just kept going, on and on. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Cloud. He motioned for her to come along. Mechanically, she followed the others as they silently exited the room.

* * *

Sometimes when you want something done right, you're got to do it yourself.

It had been a long time since Scotch had taken such an active role in a job. As the boss he had gotten used to delegating, and usually things were taken care of without much trouble. But this job seemed to have been cursed right from the begining. It had been over two months since he had agreed to the job, but Barret was still alive. The client was getting antsy, and had already threatened to cancel the deal if it didn't happen soon. With this much gil at stake, Scotch wasn't about to let that happen.

He sat in the bell tower of Aeris' church, the rifle cradled between his legs. There had been plenty of security here during the wedding, but after the ceremony the place had cleared out quickly, and it had been a simple matter to climb up undetected. The security had gone where Barret had gone, and Barret was no longer here.

He looked across the street at the reception hall. From up here he had a panoramic view of the entire area, which included both the main entrance to the hall and the side entrance. No one could get in or out without his observing them.

He should have listened to Ice right from the begining, he mused. Ice had told him Calin's scheme would never work. But Scotch had had reservations about a direct attack on a member of Avalanche. He had thought Amanda, a young girl who certainly didn't look like an assasin, would have a better chance. He had believed in Calin, and Amanda's abilities. What a mistake that had been.

And what a disaster that had turned out to be. Not only hadn't she killed Barret, but she had told them everything she could about the Fog. She knew all of them, could recognize their faces. She had instantly become an even more important target. If they didn't kill Barret they'd lose out on the money, if they didn't kill Amanda, they might go to jail for a very long time.

It had been Ice's idea to kill two birds with one stone. He was sure he could get into the reception, using his conncetion to Vincent Valentine. But Scotch had been doubtful he could get both Amanda and Barret before he was discovered. It was just too risky. So Scotch had decided a second assasin was called for, and since this had to be done right this time, he had elected to be that second assasin himself. Once Amanda was disposed of, and her body discovered he knew they would immediatly try to get Barret out of the area, and he couldn't get out without walking right into Scotch's sights.

But he had to admit he was getting impatient. He glanced quickly at his watch. Ice hadn't been sure how long it would take him to get in and do the job, but he had estimated it would take place around nine, and it was already almost ten. Scotch had seen some activity a short time ago, and a number of people had come out the side entrance, most of them going back in a short time later. None of them had been Barret, though he had spotted that pesky Turk, Reno.

Rumor had it that the Turks had passed up the job. Scotch had been surprised to hear that. For that much money, he didn't think anyone would have turned it down. He had heard that the Turks and Avalanche had been getting kind of chummy lately, but he never would have thought Reno would pass up that much money for friendship. Now the rumors were flying that the Turks were getting soft. He smiled at that thought. Any suspicion that the Turks weren't up to doing the job like they used to just meant more work for the Fog. The Turks were still the most well know organization, and got a lion's share of the business, but the Fog had been slowly eating into it. With the rumors of them going soft, and if he could finish this job and it got around that the Fog had taken out a member of Avalanche, it just might be that they could supplant the Turks at the top.

But in order for that to happen, this mission had to succeed. Ice was running late, but that didn't mean something had gone wrong. He had faith in Ice. The man had never let him down yet. He should really have listened to him and let him handle this from the very begining. Oh well, live and learn.

"Well, what do we have here?"

Scotch swung around and leaped to his feet, bringing his rifle up. A man stood just a few feet from him. Scotch recognized him instantly.

"Reno!" he blurted out.

Reno had his arms folded across his chest, his nightstick under the crook of his arm. He didn't seem in the least bit upset to see the rifle pointing at him.

"Hey Scotch, long time no see. My, but you've come a long way since your days as Don Corneo's little gopher," he said casually.

Scotches brow furrowed.

"And you've come a long way since you were President Shinra's lapdog. Slipped off your leash, have you?"

Reno did not appear phased by Scotch's remark.

"Clever of you to go with two shooters," he said. "Looks like you've got some brains after all. Though hardly enough. It's something the Turks have done many times in the past. And your choice of position wasn't bad either. After all, the church has a great view of the reception hall, and had been thoroughly checked out, but of course, that was before the wedding, not after. Take a devious mind to descern you plan, but fortunately, I was up to the task."

Scotch's frown deepened.

"I didn't come up here to chat, Reno. I came to do a job, one you didn't have the stomach for. Why don't you just turn around and go back the way you came."

"You're just wasting your time, Scotch. Barret's not coming out."

Scotch did not reply for a moment, but his face became red with anger.

"What's your interest in this, Reno? It's just a job, you know that. You were never one to let personal feelings interfere with that. Why are you even here? This is none of your business."

"My reasons are my own concern," Reno replied. "They're of no interest to you. The only thing you need to know is that I'm not going to let you kill Barret."

"You seem to forget that I'm the one with the gun," Scotch observed. "You might not know it, but I once applied to join the Turks myself, not long after you did, in fact. They said I wasn't good enough. I've often wondered why they chose you and not me, and I've also often wondered who would come out on top if we ever went up against one another. I've always wondered who was really the better man."

Scotch lowered his gun.

"I'll even give you a fair chance. I've been told you're pretty quick with that nightstick. Think you're good enough to take me out before I blow your brains out?"

Reno looked at him for a moment, the smirk never leaving his face. Finally he chuckled.

"A shootout? What do I look like, Billy the Kid? If you knew anything about me at all, you'd know I don't operate that way. And you'd also know that I never operate without a partner."

Reno fixed his eyes on something behind Scotch. For a moment Scotch hesitated, thinking it was just another of Reno's tricks, but he knew he had lost when he suddenly felt the cold steel of a gun barrel against the back of his neck.


	36. Epilogue

CHAPTER XXXVI

EPILOGUE

"So Ice was really Vincent's brother, Vernon?" Yuffie asked.

"Yes," Vincent aknowledged. "He was working for the Fog all along."

Yuffie nodded slowly. She shifted her weight, trying to get comfortable in the hospital bed she had been in for the last two days.

"And Scotch, that guy who worked for Don Corneo, he was the leader of the Fog?"

"Yup," Cloud said. "He's confessed to everything, though he's tried to lay all the blame on Ice."

The other members of Avalanche and the Turks were all gathered around Yuffie's bed. It made the room quite crowded, but she didn's seem to mind. she turned to look at Reno.

"And you was the one who stopped him?" she said, shaking her head slowly.

Reno just shrugged.

"It is hard to believe, isn't it?" Aeris said. "Looks like you're true colors have finally come out, Reno. You really do care about your friends."

Reno looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"What are you talking about?" he replied. "I don't give a damn about Barret or anyone else in Avalanche."

"Oh get real," Yuffie interceded. "You saved Barret's life, and you passed up a million gil to do it. That's not the Reno we used to know. Admit it, you've changed."

"Don't be ridiculous," Reno scoffed. "It had nothing to do with friendship. It was all business."

"Huh?" Cloud said, looking puzzled. "How can you say that? They offered you a milloin gil."

"Big deal," Reno replied. "If I'd have taken the job I would have made a million gil, but by getting rid of the competition, I've left people with no alternative but to send their business to us. I talked to my financial advisors. They told me if things had kept up, by the end of next year, the Fog would have taken almost two million in revenues away from the Turks. That money's all going into our pocket now."

The others just stared at him.

"You set them up?" Cloud said incredulously.

"Is it really that much of a surprise?" Reno stated modestly.

"I don't believe it!" Yuffie exclaimed.

Reno shrugged.

"I don't care whether you believe it or not, but it's the truth."

Cloud sat back in the chair he was in, shaking his head.

"You may be a pain in the ass, but I have to admit, you're pretty slick."

Reno took a little bow in acknowledgement.

"Why thank you. And if I must say so myself, you're just as lame as ever"

Cloud shook his head again, but there was a smile on his face.

Reno looked at Yuffie.

"So you see, you really didn't have anything to worry about. You would have been better off if you had stayed home. I was afraid if something happened, you would just get in the way."

"Thanks a lot," Yuffie replied.

"What do you mean?" Barret asked.

"Yuffie overheard a client offer me the million gil to kill you. I turned them down, but I suspect Yuffie thought I went running after him to tell him I agreed as soon as she walked out the door. I made her promise not to tell you..."

"You threatened to kill me!" Yuffie exclaimed.

Reno shrugged.

"Hey, it was business," he said by way of explanation. "Anyway, I should have also made her promise to stay away from you. She's been following you around all this time, getting in the way, to try to protect you."

Barret's eyebrows lifted. He turned to look at Yuffie, who just nodded.

"Yuffie, I don't know what to say," he said, deeply touched. "After all the nasty things I've said about you. Thank you."

Yuffie just looked down at the ground, suddenly embarrassed.

"It was a very nice thing you did Yuffie," Tifa said. "We all think so. And we also don't think that a thank you is enough. So we got you a little gift."

Yuffie immediately sat up in her bed.

"Really? What? What?" she questioned.

"Easy, don't get too excited," Cloud said with a laugh. "The doctor said you could leave tomorrow. You don't want to have a relapse."

"I'm fine," Yuffie replied. "Let's see!"

Tifa looked at her warily.

"I'm almost afraid to show you now," she said warily. Then she produced a cloth bag and held it out. Yuffies eyes lit up.

"Is that..."

She snatched the bag and overturned it on her bad. A dozen materia orbs fell into her lap.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, sorting through them gleefully.

The others laughed.

"I know it's not as much as you had before, but it was the best we could do on such short notice," Tifa told her. "The stuff is getting kind of hard to find."

"I know," Yuffie nodded in agreement. "I'm surprised you got this much. Where'd you find it all?"

"We bought it from Altim," Cid admitted. "We didn't ask him where he got it from, and he wasn't volunteering the information."

"Thanks guys!" Yuffie said.

"You're welcome," Tifa replied.

They fell silent. Yuffie finished inspecting her new materia and put it back in the bag.

"And we've got another surprise for you too," Aeris said. "You have another visitor."

Yuffie looked up, puzzled.

"Who?" she queistioned. But even as she said it her father walked in the door.

"Hello Yuffie."

"Godo," she said evenly. "What are you doing here?"

"He's been here the whole time," Aeris told her. "He came aa soon as he heard you were shot. He was by your bed all day yesterday, while you were unconcious."

"You didn't have to do that," Yuffid said.

Cloud and the others who were sitting stood up.

"Well, I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about, and we've all got some things to."

"You don't have to leave," Yuffie protested.

"We'll be back soon," Aeris replied. "We'll see you tomorrow before you leave."

"But..." Yuffie said uselessly as the others filed out. In a minute she was along with Godo. He sat down on the side of her bed.

"How are you feeling?"

Yuffie shrgged.

"Fine, I guess."

"You've been through a lot," he said.

Yuffie just looked away.

"What are you doing here?" she suddenly blurted out.

Godo looked at her as if he had been stung.

"You were hurt, you're my daughter," he replied. "I was worried about you."

Yuffie looked at him, a hard look in her eyes.

"Look, I know we've never seen eye to eye," Godo continued. "I know you don't agree with a lot of the things I did. I kmow you don't think I've been a very good father. It wasn't easy for me, with your mother gone and with me trying to run a country. It may have seemed like I had more important things to do than take care of you, but you were always uppermost in my thoughts. Just because we've disagreed doesn't mean that I don't care about you."

Yuffie just sat there, almost as if she wasn't listening.

"I heard what you did for Barret, or what you tried to do," he added. "That was very unselfish of you. In spite of all the mistakes I made bringing you up, you're turned out ot be a fine young lady. I can't take any credit for that. But I want you to know that I'm proud of you."

Yuffie did not reply, nor did she meet her father's gaze.

Godo sighed.

"All right," he said. "I...I just wanted to tell you that. And that I'm sorry about your friend. I'll leave you alone now."

He slowly stood up, and then walked toward the door. Yuffie felt a stab of pain through her stomach at the mention of Amanda. She looked up. Her father was no longer facing her. He was walking slowly away, head bowed. Only once before had he looked so...defeated.

Her lip quivered. No matter how she felt about the decisions he had made, no matter how wrong they might have been, even she had to admit he had tried to do his best for Wutai. Things had always lookd black and white to her. You did right or you did wrong. There was no in between. But the older she got the more she realized how untrue that was. It wasn't that simple. For the first time in her life she was begining to understand the difficulty of the decisions Godo had made. She had always been certain she would have done things differently. But now she wasn't so sure. It had been a difficult time, who could say whether what Godo did was right or wrong? Even so, since the fall of Shinra Wutai had come a long way towards regaining it's old status as one of the premier countries in the world. Maybe, just maybe, God's decisions hadn't been so bad after all.

"Dad."

Godo stopped in mid stride. He turned around to face Yuffie, his look unreadable.

"It's been a long time since you called me that," he stated.

"Her name was...Amanda," Yuffie said softly.

The others had told her what had happened earlier today, right after she had regained conciousness. They had been worried about how she would take it, but she had demanded to know from the moment she woke up. It wasn't really a surprise anyway. She didn't remember much after being shot. Her surprise and disbelief, the pain, the realization that she was probably going to die. And then the hand on her arm, the gentle touch, and the soothing feeling that had flowed through her right before she had lost conciousness.

"She...she saved my life," Yuffie said slowly. She had cried when they had told her, cried until she couldn't squeeze out anyymore tears. She thought she had cried herself out then, but now she felt tears begining to run down her cheeks once again. "She used her powers on me, even though...even though she was going to die herself. She could have saved herself, but she didn't. I don't know why she did it. She didn't have to. I don't know why I'm alive and she's not. I don't..."

Her voice choked off. Godo stepped back over to the bed and sat down again beside her. She tried to speak again, but no words came. She looked at him, then reached out her arms. He leaned forward and pulled her toward him, and she fell into his arms and cried like a baby.

* * *

"I'm sorry."

Tifa looked at Cloud as they walked into Elmyra's house.

"For what?" she asked.

"I'm sorry about what happened at the reception. I wanted everything to be perfect, but it didn't turn out that way. Now, everytime we think back to our wedding day, there's going to be a shadow hanging over it."

Tifa took hold of his hand. He was right, of course, but there was nothing anyone could do about it.

"That's not necesarily a bad thing," she said optimistically. "We can think back to the wedding and honor Amanda's memory at the same time. You shouldn't feel bad. There was nothing you or anyone else could have done about it. I guess it's just not our nature to have things run smoothly."

"You can say that again," Cloud said wryly. "But we've managed to get through it all, now haven't we?"

"Yes we did," Tifa said with a smile. She walked over to the window and peered out. The last rays of sunlight filtered through the sky from the west. In the opposite direction, dark clouds were gathering. Already she could see flashes of lightning crossing the sky in that direction, although they were too far away to hear any sound. She paused for a moment to look at them.

Cloud came up behind her and put his arms around her.

"What are you looking at?" he questioned.

"Looks like there's a storm coming," she said thoughtfully. "It takes me back to that day I left the hospital myself. When I was so unsure about what lie ahead."

Cloud nodded.

"You wanted to know if it was over," he said. "How do you feel about it now?"

Tifa shook her head.

"I don't know," she said softly.

"We've gone to the Jenova home world. We've made sure they never return. We've cut it off at the source. What more could we do?"

"Never is a long time," Tifa replied. "There's so many things that could happen. We've thought it was over before, and yet it didn't end. It never seems to end. Sometimes I don't think it ever will."

Cloud pulled her closer to him.

"You know, you've changed too. Whatever happened to that optomistic young girl I used to know, the one that never seemed to be down, the one that always had a cheerful word for everyone?"

Tifa turned to look at him, then shrugged.

"I guess I have changed," she said. "I used to think that nothing could stop us, that we could do anything we wanted. But I've seen too much. I know how fragile and precious life is. I know how easily it can be lost."

Cloud did not reply. It was obvious that Tifa was falling into one of her pensive moods, and he knew from experience he would just have to ride it out.

"A lot of bad things have happened, but a lot of good as well," he pointed out. "Shinra, Jenova, Hojo and Sephiroth are all gone. The world is a better place for what we have done."

Tifa didn't reply for a moment, as if pondering his words.

"I suppose that's true," she replied. "We have done good. I just wonder if we'll ever get a chance to live in peace ourselves."

"I'm sure we will," Cloud reassured her.

She looked back out the window.

"I'm not so sure," she said doubtfully. "Cloud, do you remember what Jenvoa showed us? I told you about my vision, about what happened to our child. Do you suppose..."

Cloud looked at her sharply.

"Is that what you're worried about?" he questioned. "You know those were just visions. You know they weren't true. It was just a cheap trick. Aeris said so herself."

Tifa nodded.

"I know, but still. You still have the Jenova cells inside you. Nothing we can do can change that. I know it's not your fault, but I worry..."

Cloud pulled her closer to him.

"Those cells were implanted in me," he said. "Which means they're not inheritable. Red even told me so. It can't happen."

Tifa lookd at him in surprise.

"Red told you? When did you talk to him about it?"

"Right after we got back," Cloud replied.

Tifa gave him a penetrating look.

"So you were worried too," she said.

"Let's just say I had it in the back of my mind," he conceded.

Tifa turned around in his arms until she was facing him.

"You were as worried as I was, weren't you?"

"You'll never get me to admit that," he replied. "But like I said, it ain't gonna happen. And if that isn't going to happen, then none of the others probably will, either."

Tifa looked up at him.

"So I don't have to worry about you slicing me up like a shishkabob?"

"Never," he replied seriously. "I would rather die myself."

"Don't say that," she said. "I was just teasing."

"I know," he replied. "But I've got a feeling. I think that this time it really is over. Jenova's gone, Shinra, Sephiroth, hell, even the Fog is wiped out. We've paid our dues, and now it's time to reap the rewards. It's time for us to live happily ever after."

There was a crack of thunder. Tifa jumped in Cloud's arms, then smiled, nestling her head against his chest.

"I hope you're right," she said. "Because there's nothing I want more in the world than to spend the rest of my days peacefully with you. I love you Cloud Strife."

Cloud looked down at her and smiled.

"We've been through a lot. We've had more adverntures than a dozen ordinary people. But I can think of nothing I'd like more. I love you too, Tifa Strife."

He lifted her head up and their lips met. He and Tifa had been through a lot on this journey, they had both lost and found many things. They had seen new places and made lifelong friends. After growing up together and parting ways, it was like they had come full circle. It seemed ironic that they had traveled so far only to find one another again. It was funny, but in the end the greatest gift had been right in front of him the whole time. And now that he had finally found it, he was never going to let it go.

* * *

Talon glanced up at the clock. Nearly six thirty. Another late night. Not that that was anything unusual. He had to admit there was a lot more to being mayor of Gongaga than he thought when he agreed to the job. In fact, if he had known then what he knew now he probably would have refused. Unfortunately, he hadn't known, and since he was a hero from the battle against the Healer, he had been an obvious choice for the job.

Still, he had to admit all this work was getting to him. The clean up of the reactor the Healer had built was a major chore, taking up much more of his time than he would have liked. Plus there were still excess monsters roaming the countryside that had to be taken care of as well, another result of the Healer's interference. The farmes were complaining that the harvest wasn't nearly as good as it had been when the Healer was in control. Was it his fault he didn't have Jenova's powers, that he couldn't just wave his hand and make plants grow? He was tempted to ask them if they thought they had been better off being slaves with full stomachs, but he knew that wouldn't get him anywhere.

Still, there had been some progress, and it looked as if next year would be better. In the long run, they were on course, it was just difficult to get people to take the long view sometimes.

He really needed to get another assistant. Even the two he had were not enough. But the budget was still tight, and they would probably not see any improvement for a year or two yet, so it might be better to tighten his belt and live with it, just like he was telling everyone else. If he couldn't see the big picture, how could he expect others to?

He stood up and started to gather his papers together when the intercom buzzed. He pressed a button on it.

"Yes?"

"There's a man here to see you. A Mr. Van Cleff," came his secretaries voice. "He doesn't have an appointment, but he says it's important."

Talon rolled his eyes. How many times had he heard that before? Everyone's business was important, to them.

He glanced up at the clock again. He was already late, what differnce would a few more minutes make?

"Well, what is it about, anyway?" Talon inquired.

"He didn't say, exactly. All he would tell me is it has something to do with a Mall."

THE END

* * *

_PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This concludes The Mind Slayers, the longest and by far my favorite of Frank's stories. I'm a sci-fi geek, so naturally this story is appealing to me. The fact that it's over 200k words is just icing on the cake. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Next up is the penultimate story in the series, Shadows of the Past._


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